FEB  2  6]: 


BK~TU16    .M66  1884  " 
Montgomery,  M.  W.  1840-1894 
A  wind  from  the  Holy  Spirit 
in  Sweden  and  Norway 


"A  Wind  from  the  Holy  Spirit" 


IN 


SWEDEN  AND  NORWAY. 


j 

Rev.  M.  W.  MONTGOMERY, 

SUPERINTENDENT  OF  WORK  AMONG  SCANDINAVIANS  BY  THE  AMERICAN  HOME  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY. 


AMERICAN  HOME   MISSIONARY   SOCIETY, 
BIBLE  HOUSE,  NEW   YORK. 

1884. 


To  the  Secretaries  of 

The  American  Home  Missionary  Society  : 

The  following  pages  are  my  report  of  the  religious  condition  'and 
needs  of  the  Scandinavians,  embracing  their  situation  in  Sweden  and 
Norway,  and  in  the  United  States.  Such  glimpses  of  Swedish  life  and 
customs  are  given  as  may   be  side-lights  on  the  chief  theme. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

M.  W.  Montgomery. 

Minneapolis,  Minn.,  October  1,  1884. 


mows 

PRINTING  ANO  B0OKBIN0INS  COMPANY, 
NEW  YORK. 


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A  WIND  FROM  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT" 


SWEDEN  AND  NORWAY. 


ACROSS  THE  SEA. 


This  is  the  way  this  European  journey  came  about :  It  was  a  Decem- 
ber day,  1883.  The  new  Congregational  bouse  of  worship  at  New  Uhn, 
Minn.,  was  to  be  dedicated  on  that  day.  The  Home  Missionary  there,  Rev. 
Christian  Mowery,  a  Swiss  by  birth,  and  his  brave  co-laborers  were  to  be 
made  glad.  New  Ulm  has  had  more  history  than  most  towns  of  her  age  : 
an  Indian  massacre  in  1862  ;  a  destructive  cyclone  in  1881  ;  and  formerly 
the  reputation  of  not  welcoming  the  Bible  and  Christian  churches.  Now 
she  is  a  thriving  town  of  3,000  souls,  mostly  German,  and  has,  besides  a 
Turner  Hall  of  vast  proportions,  four  churches — Roman  Catholic,  Lu- 
theran, German  Methodist,  and  Congregational — and  a  Lutheran  academy. 
Her  people  are  industrious,  very  hospitable,  have  given  liberally  toward 
the  building  of  these  churches,  and  are  tolerant  of  any  views,  religious  or 
irreligious,  and  deny  that  they  have  ever  been  otherwise. 

This  particular  day  was  Italian  in  its  charms.  December  played  that 
she  was  May  ;  the  clouds  had  migrated  southward  with  the  birds,  and  un- 
dimmed  Sol  was  ushering  in  one  of  his  wonted  sunny  and  charming 
Minnesota  winters.  Some  friends  from  Minneapolis,  who  had  specially 
prayed  for  the  work  in  New  Ulm,  were  en  route  to  attend  the  dedication. 
The  "  Omaha  Line  "  had  given  special  rates,  and  the  Chicago  and  North- 
western Railway  had  also  placed  a  special  car  at  the  disposal  of  the  party. 
From  Minneapolis  there  were  :  Hon.  and  Mrs.  E.  S.  Jones  ;  Rev.  and  Mrs. 
E.  S.  Williams  (he  the  Superintendent  of  the  Minneapolis  City  Missionary 
Society,  and  she  the  President  of  the  Woman's  Minnesota  Home  Mission- 
ary Society)  ;  Mrs.  A.  B.  Nettleton,  wife  of  the  editor  of  the  Minneapolis 
Daily  Tribune  ;  Mrs.  Montgomery  and  myself.  At  other  points  the  party 
was  joined  by  Rev.  H.  H.  Hart,  Secretary  of  the  State  Board  of  Charities  ; 


4  A   WIND   FROM   THE   HOLY   SPIRIT 

Rev.  P.  B.  Fisk,  of  Carleton  College  ;  Eev.  J.  B.  Fairbank,  and  Rev.  H.  A. 
Bushnell  (born  at  historically  orthodox  Say  brook,  Conn.).  Rarely  do  hours 
of  travel  pass  more  delightfully  than  on  that  trip.  Missions  and  merri- 
ment mingled.  When  the  company  rose  from  the  bountiful  tables  at  Ka- 
sota,  they  found  that  Judge  Jones  had  anticipated  the  bill  for  all. 

I  was  tired.  Not  from  that  trip ;  the  nervous  system  had  long  been 
calling  imperatively  for  a  release  from  care.  Judge  Jones  (a  director  in 
the  Minnesota  Home  Missionary  Society)  saw  it.  When  an  opportunity 
occurred  to  say  a  word  privately,  he  laid  his  hand  upon  my  shoulder  and 
said  :  "  You  must  take  a  rest ;  it  must  be  in  Europe  ;  there's  no  rest  like 
a  sea- voyage  and  European  travel ;  you  must  go.  If  you  will  go,  I'll  take 
care  of  a  large  share  of  the  expense."  Up  to  that  moment  a  trip  to  Eu- 
rope had  been  to  me  only  a  far-distant,  possible  joy.  The  Directors  of  the 
Minnesota  Home  Missionary  Society  gave  their  cordial  approval  of  Judge 
Jones'  suggestion.  An  inquiry  of  the  Secretaries  of  the  parent  Society  at 
New  York  brought  a  telegram  from  Dr.  Barrows:  "We  here  all  think 
favorably  of  your  going  ; "  and  Dr.  Clapp  wrote  :  "  Go,  by  all  means." 
It  was  clearly  the  Lord's  will.  Rev.  George  A.  Hood  was  secured  for 
superintendent,  ad  interim,  and  I  prepared  for  the  journey. 

At  the  January  meeting  of  the  Congregational  Club  of  Minnesota,  two 
Scandinavian  speakers  made  very  interesting  addresses  on  recent  religious 
movements  in  Norway  and  Sweden  :  Professor  S.  Oftedal  on  the  progress- 
ive movements  in  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  church,  and  Rev.  George 
Wiberg  on  the  Swedish  free  church  movement.  At  the  close  Professor 
Oftedal  wittily  said  :  "  The  Lutheran  church  is  now  ready  to  receive  the 
Congregationalists  ; "  and  Mr.  WTiberg,  in  answer  to  the  inquiry,  "  Why 
do  Scandinavians  attend  church  better  than  Americans  ?  "  made  the  happy 
reply  :  "  Because  they  are  so  much  better  people  !  " 

Rev.  M.  M.  G.  Dana,  D.D.,  of  St.  Paul,  gave  the  Scandinavian  brethren 
the  right  hand  of  fellowship,  and  presented  the  following  resolution,  which 
was  adopted : 

Eesolred,  That  our  beloved  brother,  Rev.  M.  W.  Montgomery,  in  his  proposed  trip 
to  Sweden,  be  requested  to  bear  the  Christian  salutations  of  the  Congregational  churches 
of  Minnesota  to  the  Mission  churches  in  that  country,  and  to  express  to  them  our  be- 
lief that  in  doctrine  and  polity  we  are  substantially  one  ;  to  greet  them  as  our  brethren 
in  Christ ;  and  assure  them  of  our  hope  that  at  no  distant  day  formal  and  friendly  re- 
lations will  be  established  between  us  and  the  interchange  of  Christian  intercourse,  and 
express  to  them  the  desire  we  cherish  that  they  and  like  churches  in  this  country  may 
yet,  through  their  representatives,  meet  together  in  some  general  conference  for  pur- 
poses of  fellowship  and  co-operative  effort. 

The  officers  of  the  American  Home  Missionary  Society  sent  the  fol- 
lowing letter : 

New  York,  February  19,  1884. 
To  our  Brethren  in  Christ  in  Sweden, 

Greeting : — This  will  introduce  to  you  the  Rev.  M.  W.  Montgomery,  of  Minneap- 
olis, Minnesota,  U.   S.   A. ,   who  visits  your  country  for  the  purpose  of  bearing  the 


IN   SWEDEN   AND   NORWAY.  S 

greetings  of  the  Congregational  brethren  in  the  United  States  to  the  Mission  churches 
of  Sweden,  and  to  assure  you  of  our  Christian  fellowship  and  co-operation  in  the  work 
of  extending  the  kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  Savior  Jesus  Christ.     .     .     . 
Wishing  you  grace,  mercy,  and  peace,  we  are,  dear  brethren, 

Faithfully  yours, 

David  B.  Coe, 
Alex.  H.  Clapp, 
Walter  M.   Barrows, 
Joseph  B.  Clark, 
Officers  of  tlie  American  Home  Missionary  Society. 

Letters  of  introduction  were  also  kindly  given  me  to  persons  in  various 
parts  of  Sweden,  by  Rev.  E.  Aug.  Skogsberg,  pastor  of  the  Swedish  Mis- 
sion church  in  Minneapolis  ;  by  Professor  S.  Oftedal  to  his  brother  in  the 
Norwegian  Parliament ;  and  a  general  letter  by  the  beloved  professors  at 
Yale  Seminary. 

Judge  E.  S.  Jones  went  on  to  New  York  and  saw  me  on  board  the 
steamer  Erin,  of  the  National  Line,  sailing  direct  for  London,  February 
26th.  After  twelve  and  one-half  days  on  the  Atlantic,  most  of  the  time  in 
a  raging  wintry  storm  and  very  rough  sea,  we  landed  at  London  Wharf, 
March  10,  1884. 

SCANDINAVIANS   IN   THE   NORTHWEST. 

Scandinavians  are  the  people  born  in  Denmark,  Norway,  Sweden,  and 
Finland,  and  their  children.  They  are  to  play  an  exceedingly  important 
part  in  shaping  the  future  of  the  Northwest — Wisconsin,  Minnesota, 
Dakota — and  are  to  have  no  small  share  in  the  development  of  Michigan, 
Illinois,  Iowa,  Nebraska,  Kansas,  and  Utah.  In  very  recent  years  the  Ter- 
ritories lying  yet  farther  west  are  receiving  large  accessions  from  the 
Scandinavians.  Into  the  polygamous  communities  of  Utah,  too,  many  from 
these  nationalities  are  inveigled.  They  are  found  also  in  every  State  and 
Territory. 

My  first  year's  experience  as  Superintendent  of  Home  Missions  in  Min- 
nesota fully  convinced  me  that  in  that  State,  at  least,  the  religious  condition 
of  the  Scandinavians  is  of  vital  importance  to  the  best  interests  of  the 
commonwealth.  A  fair  estimate  is  that  at  the  present  time  one-fourth  of 
the  entire  population  of  Minnesota  is  Scandinavian.  The  immigration  since 
1880  has  been  much  larger  than  ever  before.  Their  political  prominence  is 
significantly  shown  in  the  fact  that  of  the  75  counties  in  Minnesota,  30  have 
Scandinavian  treasurers,  25  Scandinavian  registers  of  deeds,  17  Scandi- 
navian judges  of  probate,  14  Scandinavian  auditors,  and  7  Scandinavian 
sheriffs;  while  the  Hon.  Knute  Nelson,  a  Norwegian,  is  the  Eepublican 
member  of  Congress  from  the  fifth  Minnesota  district,  and  Mr.  Hans 
Mattson,  U.  S.  Consul  at  Calcutta,  is  said  to  be  a  Swede  from  Minneapolis. 
Minnesota  has  nearly  twice  as  many  of  these  people  as  any  other  State,  and 
they  are  also  much  the  most  numerous  of  any  class  of  foreigners  within  her 
borders.     This  very  large  element  of  so  desirable  a  foreign  population 


6  A   WIND   FROM  THE  HOLY   SPIRIT 

furnishes  one  of  the  reasons,  and  not  the  least,  why  many  of  her  citizens 
think  Minnesota  is  one  of  the  best  States  in  the  Union. 

The  American  Home  Missionary  Society  could  not  properly  ignore  a 
people  so  intimately  linked  with  the  future  growth  of  several  States  and  all 
our  Territories.  The  religious  situation  among  them  should  be  accurately 
known,  and,  if  need  be,  the  Society  should  help  to  support  the  preaching 
of  the  gospel  among  them.  Accordingly  somewhat  extensive  inquiries 
were  made  of  Home  Missionaries  and  agents  of  the  American  Sunday- 
school  Union  concerning  the  habits  and  religious  condition  of  the  Scandi- 
navians in  the  United  States. 

A   DESIRABLE   PEOPLE. 

The  information  gathered  may  be  summarized  thus  :  The  Scandinavians 
are,  all  things  considered,  among  the  best  foreigners  who  come  to  American 
shores.  For  a  republic  where  there  is  civil  and  religious  liberty,  and  espe- 
cially where  these  principles  are  the  very  corner-stone  of  the  State,  that  for- 
eign element  is  most  desirable  which  most  readily  swings  into  the  current 
of  American  life,  and  becomes  inspired  with  the  genius  of  American  insti- 
tutions. They  who  love  liberty  and  religion  will  make  the  best  citizens 
for  this  republic.  Just  such  are  the  Scandinavians.  They  are  almost 
universally  Protestants  ;  comparatively  few  of  them  are  sceptics.  They 
have  been  reared  to. believe  in  God,  the  Bible,  the  Sabbath,  and  in  salva- 
tion through  Christ.  They  ardently  love  the  principles  upon  which  our 
republic  rests,  and  hence  are  intensely  loyal.  In  politics  they  are  gener- 
ally Republican.  They  have  large,  strong  bodies  ;  are  industrious,  frugal, 
eager,  apt,  modest,  intelligent.  Very  many  American  homes  are  blessed 
with  the  services  of  Scandinavian  girls  whose  ways  are  likely  to  be  honest, 
quiet,  faithful,  cleanly,  and  pious.  Scandinavians  are  not  exclusive  nor 
clannish  as  to  occupation  or  location.  They  are  in  every  profession — are 
ministers,  lawyers,  physicians,  teachers  ;  are  also  in  every  business — farm- 
ers, manufacturers,  merchants,  bankers,  artisans,  miners,  and  day-laborers. 
They  come  here  to  stay  ;  buy  real  estate,  build  good  houses,  found  acade- 
mies and  colleges  ;  and  tens  of  thousands  more  from  the  "  Land  of  the 
Midnight  Sun  "  are  following  them  hither. 

CONTRASTED  WITH  OTHER  FOREIGNERS. 
In  several  respects  the  Scandinavians  are  in  marked  contrast  with  some 
foreign  elements  among  us.  They  are  not  peddlers,  nor  organ  grinders, 
nor  beggars  ;  they  do  not  all  sell  ready-made  clothing  nor  keep  pawn-shops ; 
their  religion  is  not  hostile  to  free  institutions  ;  they  do  not  come  here 
temporarily,  and,  while  seeking  for  gain,  live  a  foreign  life,  praying  all  the 
while  that  their  bones  may  yet  lie  in  the  lands  from  which  they  came  ; 
they  do  not  seek  to  break  down  (what  there  is  left  of)  the  American  Sab- 
bath ;  they  do  not  make  the  United  States  the  plotting-ground  against  the 
Government  of  their   native  land  ;  they  do  not  seek  the  shelter  of  the 


IN   SWEDEN   AND   NORWAY.  7 

American  flag  merely  to  introduce  and  foster  among  us  ideas  in  direct 
variance  with  all  the  most  precious  interests  of  our  land — socialism,  nihil- 
ism, communism  ;  and  they  are  not  always  intimating  that  the  lands  from 
which  they  came  and  their  entire  civilization  are  so  much  better  than  the 
country  of  their  adoption.  This  republic — the  hope  and  inspiration  of  the 
world — has  nothing  to  fear  from  Scandinavians,  but  very  much  to  gain. 
After  a  careful  observation  of  these  people  in  this  land  and  in  their  native 
countries,  I  am  clearly  of  the  opinion  that  they  are  more  nearly  like  Ameri- 
cans than  are  any  other  foreign  peoples.  In  manners  and  customs,  politi- 
cal and  religious  instincts,  fertility  of  adaptation,  personal  appearance, 
and  cosmopolitan  character,  they  are  strikingly  like  native  Americans. 
No  peculiar  physiognomy  is  stamped  upon  them  to  point  them  out  the 
world  over ;  they  find  the  English  language  easy,  and  quickly  acquire  it 
and  lose  their  own  brogue.  The  first  generation  of  American-born  Scan- 
dinavians, when  they  reach  the  age  of  twenty  years,  cannot  generally  be 
distinguished  from  Americans  by  either  appearance,  language,  or  customs. 
In  vices  they  are  also  much  like  Americans.  Intemperance  is  some- 
times said  to  be  their  national  besetting  sin.  Like  other  Northern  nations, 
they  have  a  partiality  for  the  stronger  liquors  as  against  wines  and  beer  ; 
and  yet  too  many  of  them  accept  anything  that  will  intoxicate.  As  regards 
profanity,  gambling,  and  licentiousness,  they  are  much  in  need  of  the  con- 
verting power  of  the  gospel. 

SCANDINAVIAN  CHURCHES. 

All  foreign-born  Scandinavians  have  been  reared,  nominally  at  least,  in 
the  faith  of  the  Lutheran  church.  Nearly  all  Norwegians  and  Danes  are 
Lutherans.  There  is  no  distinctively  free  church  movement  among  them 
except  Methodists  and  Baptists.  For  a  quarter  of  a  century  these  de- 
nominations in  the  United  States  and  in  England  have  been  doing  mis- 
sionary work  in  Denmark,  Sweden,  and  Norway,  and  when  these  nation- 
alities immigrate  hither  the  names  "Methodist"  and  "Baptist"  are  more 
or  less  familiar  to  them.  The  Norwegians  in  the  United  States  are  divided 
into  four  branches  of  the  Lutheran  church,  called  the  Lutheran  "  Con- 
ference," Lutheran  "  Synod,"  "Hangars"  Synod,  and .  The  two  for- 
mer are  very  strong,  earnestly  favor  education,  and  each  has  its  own  pre- 
paratory schools,  colleges,  and  theological  seminaries.  They  all  claim  to 
be  loyal  Lutherans,  and  yet  they  vigorously  contest  with  each  other  on 
doctrinal  points,  vestments,  and  polity.  The  Danes  also  are  quite  gen- 
erally Lutherans.  Probably  one-half  of  the  Swedes  in  this  country  are 
Lutherans ;  of  the  rest  the  larger  number  belong  to  "  Mission "  and 
"Free"  churches,  of  whom  more  is  to  be  said  hereafter.  The  Baptists 
and  Methodists  have  many  churches  among  them. 

The  foregoing  facts  show  that  so  hopeful  an  element  in  our  Protestant 
body  politic  deserves  in  their  "  new  home  land  "  every  help  which  American 
Christians  can  give  to  them,  and  that  this  fertile  Scandinavian  soil  will 


8  A   WIND   FROM   THE  HOLY   SPIRIT 

richly  reward  sowing  the  gospel  seed.  And  yet  it  was  far  from  clear  in 
what  way  the  American  Home  Missionary  Society  could  best  aid  Christian 
Scandinavians  in  spreading  the  gospel  among  their  countrymen.  How 
to  render  the  aid  where  most  needed ;  how  to  do  it  most  economically ; 
how  to  avoid  blunders — these  were  the  questions  which  were  not  yet  an- 
swered. Among  no  other  class  of  foreigners  speaking  a  foreign  language 
have  we  met  with  similar  conditions. 

HINTS. 

The  first  action  of  the  Society  was  to  appoint  Rev.  George  Wiberg  (a 
native  of  Sweden  who  had  been  in  this  country  for  many  years,  and  a 
member  of  the  Swedish  Ansgarii  synod)  general  missionary  for  Minnesota, 
to  preach  among  such  Swedish  free  congregations  as  were  unable  to  sup- 
port preaching.  When  he  came  to  Minnesota  he  told  us  that  a  very  large 
proportion  of  the  Swedish  churches  in  this  country  were,  in  all  essential 
features  of  polity,  doctrine,  and  general  methods,  like  our  Congregational 
churches  ;  and  also  that  there  were  many  such  churches  in  Sweden.  When 
doubts  were  expressed  as  to  the  correctness  of  this  statement,  he  replied 
that  there  was  no  word  in  the  English  language  which  would  correctly 
designate  the  general  features  of  the  Swedish  "  Mission  "  and  "  Free " 
churches  except  the  word  "Congregational,"  and  that  there  was  no  im- 
portant difference  between  them  except  those  of  name  and  language. 
Soon  after  an  article  appeared  in  Tlie  Congregationalist,  by  Rev.  H.  A.  Stim- 
son,  which  stated  that  there  were  in  this  country  some  eighty  Swedish 
churches  which  were  essentially  Congregational.  This  surprising  infor- 
mation made  it  still  more  evident  that  the  facts  in  the  case  should  be  fully 
known  before  intelligent  action  could  be  taken  by  the  Society. 

GOING  TO  SWEDEN. 

For  these  reasons  it  was  thought  best  that  during  my  travels  in  Europe 
I  should  visit  Sweden  and  Norway,  and  there  inquire  into  the  religious 
situation  in  those  countries  ;  the  religious  history,  training,  present  views, 
prejudices,  and  cm-rents  of  thought  among  the  good  people  who  are  send- 
ing so  many  tens  of  thousands  of  their  promising  sons  and  daughters  to 
make  their  homes  among  us.  This  problem  could  be  studied  to  better 
advantage  in  those  countries  than  here,  because  the  situation  there  is  the 
key  to  the  existing  conditions  here.  Since  the  immigration  from  Scandi- 
navian countries  has  come  to  large  proportions  only  within  the  past  twenty 
years,  and  reached  its  highest  mark  in  1882,  it  is  clear  that  the  currents  of 
religious  thought  prevailing  in  their  native  lands  must  be  substantially  the 
same  among  these  so  recent  arrivals  here.  There,  we  should  find  the  roots 
and  fountains  of  these  religious  movements  ;  here,  the  far-reaching  branches 
and  the  distant  overflows.  In  this  natural  way  it  was  thought  that  we  might 
open  with  the  right  keys  the  problem  of  religious  work  among  the  Scandina- 
vians in  this  country.     The  result  has  more  than  fulfilled  our  expectations. 


IN  SWEDEN   AND   NORWAY. 


SCANDINAVIAN   POPULATION. 


Table  showing  the  Number  of  Persons  in  the  United  States  in  1880  who 
were  Born  in  Sweden,  Norway,  or  Denmark,  and  the  Distrd3ution  of 
each  among  the  States  and  Territories  : 


States  and  Territories. 


Swedes. 


Norwegians. 


Danes. 


Total. 


Minnesota 

Wisconsin 

Illinois 

Iowa 

Dakota 

Nebraska 

New  York 

Michigan 

Kansas 

Utah 

California 

Pennsylvania 

Massachusetts 

Missouri 

Indiana 

New  Jersey 

Colorado 

Connecticut. 

Texas 

Ohio 

Oregon 

Washington 

Maine 

Idaho 

Rhode  Island 

Nevada 

Montana 

Louisiana 

Florida 

Wyoming 

Mississippi 

Maryland 

Tennessee 

Arkansas 

Arizona 

New  Hampshire  . . . 

Georgia  

Alabama 

Kentucky 

Virginia 

South  Carolina 

District  of  Columbia 

Vermont 

Delaware 

North  Carolina 

New  Mexico 

West  Virginia 

Total 


39,176 

8,138 

42,415 

17,559 

3,177 

10,164 

11,164 

9,412 

11,207 

3,750 

4,209 

7,575 

4,756 

3,174 

3,121 

1,622 

2,172 

2,086 

1,293 

1,186 

983 

648 

988 

323 

776 

317 

280 

270 

231 

249 

302 

177 

257 

211 

106 

131 

138 

119 

95 

49 

63 

51 

68 

71 

24 

39 

21 


62,521 

49,349 

16,970 

21,586 

13,245 

2,010 

2,185 

3,520 

1,358 

1,214 

1,765 

381 

639 

373 

182 

229 

354 

168 

880 

178 

574 

580 

99 

276 

56 

119 

174 

78 

79 

74 

56 

108 

25 

33 

45 

79 

23 

24 

21 

29 

5 

19 

10 

6 

10 

17 

3 


6,071 

8,797 

6,029 

6,901 

1,447 

4,511 

3,145 

3,513 

1,838 

7,791 

3,748 

945 

576 

970 

583 

1,264 

507 

428 

489 

642 

385 

296 

273 

586 

55 

350 

190 

285 

259 

188 

99 

128 

98 

98 

131 

30 

53 

69 

73 

60 

60 

45 

35 

36 

58 

23 

38 


107,768 

66,284 

65,414 

46,046 

17,869 

16,685 

16,494 

16,445 

14,403 

12,765 

9,722 

8,901 

5,971 

4,517 

3,886 

3,115 

3,033 

2,682 

2,662 

2,006 

1,942 

1,524 

1,360 

•  1,185 

887 

786 

644 

633 

569 

511 

457 

413 

374 

342 

282 

240 

214 

212 

189 

138 

128 

115 

113 

113 

92 

79 

62 


194,337 


181,729 


64,196 


440,262 


10 


A   WIND   FROM   THE   HOLY   SPIRIT 


YEARLY  IMMIGRATION. 

Table  showing  the  Number  of  Immigrants  to  the  United  States  from 
Denmark,  Norway,  and  Sweden  for  each  Calendar  Year  from  1863 
to  1883  inclusive,  as  Compiled  from  the  "  Reports  of  the  Bureau  of 
Statistics,"  Washington,  D.  C. 


1863.     1864. 

1 

1865. 

1866. 

1867. 

1868. 

1869. 

1870. 

1871. 

1872. 

1873. 

1,492     712 

227       70 

1,400  2,179 

3,119  2,961 

1,149 

3,258 
2,851 

7,258 

1,862 
7,849 
4,784 

1,436 
1,739 
5,316 

2,019 

6,461 

13,958 

22,438 

4,282 
17,718 
24,115 

46,115 

3,041 
12,356 
12,009 

27,406 

2,346 
11,307 
11,659 

25,312 

3,758 
10,348 
14,645 

28,751 

5,095 
18,107 
11,351 

Total 

14,495 

8,491 

34,553 

Denmark 

Norway . . 
Sweden . . 


Total . 


1874. 


3,188 
6,581 
4,336 


14,105 


1875. 


1.951 
4,465 
6,031 


12,447 


1876. 


1,624 
6,031 
5,204 


12,859 


1877. 


1,617 
4,333 

4,774 


1878. 


1879. 


1880. 


1881. 


1882. 


10,724 


2,688  3,532  8,788  8,951  12,769  9,747 
5.2161  9,488  23,054  26,967,  27,197  21,295 
6,17616,65946, 723  55,892    60,413  32,596 

14,08o!29,679i78,555  91,810  100,379  63,638 


The  number  of  immigrants  from  these  countries  to  the  United  States 
for  the  first  five  months  of  1884  was  15,812. 


Summary  of  Immigrants  by  Decades  from   1820  to  1880. 


1S21  to  1830. 

1831  to  1840. 

1841  to  1850. 

1851  to  1860. 

1861  to  1870. 

1871  to  1880. 

Denmark 

169 
91 

1,063 
1,201 

539 
13,903 

3,749 
20,931 

17,885 
117,798 

34,577 

Norway  and  Sweden.  . 

226,488 

Total 

260 

2,264 

14,442 

24,680 

135,683 

261,065 

Grand  total  from  1821  to  1883  inclusive,  438,394.  All  the  foregoing 
statistics  are  incomplete  in  one  particular,  viz.,  that  they  do  not  include 
the  Finns,  who  should  be  classed  among  Scandinavians.  Finland  being  a 
part  of  the  Russian  dominions,  the  census  includes  the  Finns  with  the 
Russians,  and  hence  they  cannot  be  shown  separately. 


A   MILLION   AND   A   HALF   SCANDINAVIANS   IN   THE   UNITED   STATES. 

Thus  it  appears  that  by  the  census  of  1880  the  Scandinavian  foreign- 
born  population  in  the  United  States  was  440,202  ;  also  the  surprising  fact 
that  during  the  four  years  since  that  census  was  taken,  viz.,  1880-83, 
334,382  more  came,  being  over  three-fourths  as  many  as  had  accumulated 
from   the   immigration  of  all   previous  years.     Adding  these  figures  we 


IN   SWEDEN   AND   NORWAY.  11 

have  774,644  foreign-bom  Scandinavians  in  the  United  States  on  Jan- 
uary 1,  1884.  To  represent  the  children  of  these,  born  on  American  soil, 
we  must  at  least  double  the  above  figures,  making  (in  round  numbers) 
1,500,000  persons  as  the  Scandinavian  population  of  the  United  States  in 

1884. 

Next  in  order  are  the  Scandinavians,  an  interesting  element,  as  they  are  massed 
so  strongly  in  a  certain  district  that  they  cannot  fail  to  impress  themselves  upon  the 
population  and  affect  the  type  there  to  a  marked  extent.  The  persons  of  Norwegian, 
Swedish,  and  Danish  nativity  in  the  country  in  1880  were  440,262  in  number.  Of 
these,  350,914,  or  more  than  three-fourths  of  the  whole,  are  in  a  group  of  eight  North- 
western States  and  Territories. ' 

The  Western  States  (so  called)  and  Territories  present  by  far  the  most  inviting 
field  for  the  study  of  race  influence  in  America.  We  find  that  this  section  is  not  only 
the  most  profoundly  affected  by  foreign  immigration,  but  that  its  increase  in  popula- 
tion from  other  causes  is  fastest.  Moreover,  on  account  of  the  probability  that  it  will 
some  time  contain  a  much  larger  portion  of  the  population  of  the  country  than  any  other 
region,  it  is  likely  to  do  most  to  fix  the  permanent  national  type  and  character.  .  .  . 
If  we  join  to  the  German  element  in  Wisconsin  the  102,631  persons  in  the  State  of 
Scandinavian  parentage,  we  have,  in  the  product  and  its  influence,  a  promise  of  a  fair 
and  stalwart  race. 

Hardly  so  blonde  in  type  will  be  the  future  man  of  Wisconsin,  however,  as  hia 
neighbor  the  Minnesotian.     .     .     . 

THE   PROMISED   LAND. 

The  Scandinavian  people,  the  Norwegians  at  their  head,  have  poured  into  Minne- 
sota as  if  it  were  a  land  promised  them  by  their  deities.  They  have,  in  the  south- 
western part  of  the  State,  taken  possession  of  entire  townships  where  no  other  people 
live.  .  .  .  The  stream  of  immigration  pouring  into  Dakota  gives  promise  that  the 
population  will  repeat  the  characteristics  of  Minnesota. 8 

ENQUIRIES  IN  LONDON. 

In  London  I  called  upon  Rev.  Joseph  Parker,  D.D.,  and  inquired 
whether  it  was  true  that  there  was  a  great  free  church  movement  in  Swe- 
den which  was  essentially  Congregational.  He  replied  that  he  knew  noth- 
ing about  it,  and  advised  me  to  inquire  at  Memorial  Hall.  Secretary  An- 
drew Mearns  said  that  they  had  quite  recently  heard  a  rumor  similar  to 
that  which  had  reached  the  Congregational  brethren  in  the  United  States, 
but  whether  the  facts  were  as  reported,  he  could  not  say.  London  being 
so  near  to  Sweden,  and  communication  between  them  being  so  frequent, 
it  seemed  quite  impossible  that,  if  such  a  movement  really  existed,  or,  at 
least,  had  acquired  any  considerable  strength,  our  English  brethren  should 
not  have  heard  of  it ;  and  Mr.  Mearns'  reply  quite  prepared  me  to  expect 
that  the  reported  awakening  would  prove  to  be  either  very  small  or  pos- 
sibly of  an  unexpected  character. 


'The  Century,  September,  1884,  p.  764.  sIbid.,  p.  767. 


12  A   WIND   FROM   THE  HOLY    SPIRIT 


ARRIVAL  IN  SWEDEN. 

Henceforward  the  journey  was  by  way  of  the  Continent.  Leaving 
Copenhagen,  an  eastward  sail  of  sixteen  English  miles  across  Ore  Sound 
lands  me,  April  5th,  on  the  soil  of  Sweden,  at  the  city  of  Malmo,  situated 
on  the  extreme  southwestern  point  of  Sweden,  and  the  third  town  of  that 
country  in  point  of  population  (36,670)  and  importance.  The  first  man 
whom  I  met  after  setting  foot  on  the  Swedish  shore  was  so  drunk  that  he 
was  attempting  to  monopolize  the  entire  pavement.  Thence  to  Stockholm 
by  railway,  going  diagonally  across  Southern  and  Southeastern  Sweden 
and  passing  through  Skane,  Smaland,  Jonkoping,  Ostergotland,  and 
Nykpoing.  Had  I  then  known  of  the  great  Mission  congregation  at 
Malmo,  of  the  Mission  theological  school  at  Winslof  (within  six  English 
miles  of  which  I  passed),  and  of  other  places  along  the  route  in  which  I 
afterward  came  to  have  a  deep  interest,  they  would  have  had  an  eager 
American  visitor.  Southern  and  Central  Sweden  are  very  much  like  Min- 
nesota in  climate  and  in  the  multitude  of  charming  lakes  that  dot  the 
land,  but  in  the  matter  of  good  soil  they  are  very  unlike. 

ROCKY  SWEDEN. 

In  Southern  Sweden  there  is  considerable  excellent  land  ;  the  farm 
buildings  are  large  and  the  farms  well  cultivated  ;  there  is  also  a  discour- 
aging proportion  of  great  rocks — acres  and  miles  of  gray,  rough,  ban-en 
rocks.  The  stony  features  increase  as  you  go  northward  until  it  may  be 
said  that  the  northern  half  of  Sweden  and  most  of  Norway  are  rocky  and 
mountainous  ridges,  exceedingly  discouraging  to  the  farmer.  Farms  can 
be  made  only  in  patches  here  and  there  ;  oftentimes  a  single  and  very 
small  farm  is  rock-bound  on  all  sides.  To  the  landless  and  poor  Scandina- 
vian, the  "West,  with  its  scores  of  miles  of  uninterruptedly  fertile  soil  which 
he  may  possess  almost  without  price,  must  seem  a  panorama  of  the  Gar- 
den of  Eden.  Sweden  abounds  in  rapid  streams  of  pure  water  ;  its  lakes 
are  full  of  fish,  and  the  scenery  is  often  very  beautiful.  But  whatever  in- 
hospitable lands  there  may  be  in  Sweden  and  Norway,  and  whatever  allure- 
ments in  the  New  World,  the  Scandinavian  keeps  an  undiminished  love 
for  what  he  affectionately  calls  "  the  Old  Homeland." 

RAILWAY   DINING. 

The  Swedish  method  of  dining  railway  passengers  is  a  great  improve- 
ment on  the  American  plan.  Passengers  enter  a  dining-room  characterized 
by  extreme  neatness  and  tasteful,  appetizing  arrangements.  A  long  table 
in  the  center  of  the  room,  decorated  with  festoons  and  flowering  plants, 
is  laden  with  well-cooked  food,  steaming  hot,  of  every  variety  that  keen 
appetites  require.  The  dishes  and  table  ware  are  in  piles  on  the  same 
table.  Each  passenger  goes  to  this  table  and  gets  such  dishes,  knives  and 
forks,  etc.,  as  he  may  need,  then  helps  himself  (while  standing),  filling  his 


Or   SWEDEN   AND   NORWAY.  13 

plate  with  whatever  he  likes  best,  then  retires  from  the  table,  and  either 
eats  standing  or  goes  to  a  side  table  and  sits,  as  he  prefers.  The  Swedes 
will  probably  stand,  unless  the  meal  be  dinner.  When  one  course  is  fin- 
ished a  servant  removes  the  dishes,  and  you  go  again  to  the  chief  table 
and  select  your  next  course,  and  so  on,  to  satiety.  For  dinner  there  are 
usually  provided  two  kinds  of  soup,  two  to  five  kinds  of  fish,  two  kinds  of 
meat  and  vegetables,  jellies,  preserves,  cake,  and  puddings,  with  butter  and 
bread  of  the  very  best.  At  a  side  table  will  be  found  most  excellent  tea, 
coffee,  and  milk.  The  room  is  very  quiet ;  there  is  no  hurry  (although  the 
time  allowed  is  not  more  than  in  the  United  States),  no  crowding  or  call- 
ing for  food.  Each  one  quietly  gets  and  eats  what  he  likes  best,  and  is 
happy.  The  charge  will  be  about  forty  cents ;  or  you  can  take  only  a  lunch 
for  much  less.  One  neatly  dressed,  attentive,  and  modest  girl  will  by  this 
plan  serve  a  large  number  of  passengers,  and  another  maiden  will  receive 
the  pay.  There  is  economy  of  time,  quietness,  and  general  satisfaction  to 
travelers. 

STOCKHOLM. 

Stockholm  is  called  the  "Venice  of  the  North,"  the  "Thousand  Islands 
City,"  etc.  ;  has  190,000  population,  and  is  growing  very  fast.  Three 
facts  will  show  the  drinking  habits  of  the  people  :  (1)  At  the  Eydberg 
Hotel,  the  second  best  in  the  city,  the  bill  of  fare  in  the  dining-room  covers 
eight  long  pages,  of  which  six  pages  give  the  list  of  drinks.  (2)  In  the  beau- 
tiful dining-room  of  the  Grand  Hotel  (there  is  no  better  kept  hotel  to  be 
found  anywhere),  on  a  side  table  where  the  "  smdrgasbord  "  '  (pronounced 
smar-gos-boord)  is  kept,  there  is  a  barrel-shaped  silver  tankard,  about  two 
feet  long,  in  which  are  six  faucets,  from  which  may  be  drawn  as  many 
sorts  of  strong  drinks,  and  to  which  all  who  go  to  that  table  have  free 
access.  (3)  During  a  walk  on  one  street,  on  a  Monday  forenoon,  I  counted 
six  men  so  drunk  as  to  be  lying  in  the  gutters.  Yet  there  are  encouraging 
features.  The  Blue  Ribbon  army  has  begun  active  work  there  ;  they  have 
temperance  publications ;  are  eagerly  watching  the  results  of  our  experi- 
ments in  prohibition  in  Maine,  Kansas,  and  Iowa  ;  and  the  Fx-ee  Mission 
churches  are  universally  against  intemperance.  An  intelligent  and  candid 
resident  of  Stockholm  gave  it  as  his  judgment  that  excessive  drinking  was, 
in  that  city,  the  special  vice  of  the  poorer  classes,  while  gambling  was  the 
more  prevalent  and  ruinous  sin  among  the  wealthier  classes.  My  letters 
of  introduction  opened  the  way  to  every  avenue  to  information  after  I  got 
on  the  right  track,  which  was  not  found  without  difficulty. 

A   POOR  INTERPRETER. 

Securing  the  services  of  a  professional  guide  and  interpreter,  I  called 
upon  Secretary  P.  Ollen,  at  the  office  of  the  "Swedish  Mission  Union" — 

'  You  must  go  to  Sweden  to  find  out  what  that  is ! — Ed. 


14  A    WIND   FROM   THE  HOLT   SPIRIT 

the  English  name  of  the  missionary  society  for  home  and  foreign  missions. 
For  some  reason,  which  I  did  not  then  understand,  I  got  very  little  infor- 
mation in  my  interviews  with  him.  After  several  equally  fruitless  calls, 
Mr.  Ollen  invited  me  to  visit  him  at  his  suburban  residence  on  Monday, 
April  14th,  at  9  a.m.  Mr.  Ollen  could  not  speak  English,  nor  I,  at 
that  time,  any  Swedish,  so  that  an  interpreter  was  a  constant  neces- 
sity. We  found  his  suburban  home  on  the  bank  of  a  stream,  and 
amid  trees.  In  one  part  of  the  grounds  is  a  printing  office,  where 
he  prints  Hemland'svannen  (Tlxe  Homeland's  Friend),  of  which  he  is  also 
the  editor.  It  is  in  sympathy  with  the  Mission  churches,  and  has  a  weekly 
circulation  of  eleven  thousand  copies.  Within  his  home  we  found  handsome 
furniture  and  an  interesting  family.  Mrs.  Ollen  at  once  invited  us  to  an 
elegant  breakfast.  Not  knowing  that  this  was  in  the  programme,  and  as  I 
had  been  to  breakfast  an  hour  before  in  Stockholm,  I  was  about  to  excuse 
myself,  when  my  guide  informed  me  that  it  would  give  offense  if  I  did 
not  partake.  Standing  around  the  table,  a  silent  blessing  was  asked. 
According  to  Swedish  politeness,  no  one  would  come  to  the  table  until  the 
stranger  guest  had  helped  himself  (after  the  manner  of  the  railway  stations)  ; 
next  came  the  parents,  and  then  the  children,  one  after  another,  each 
selecting  to  suit  his  own  taste,  and  then  standing  or  walking  about  the 
room  while  eating.  They  seemed  to  know  that  Americans  are  not  used  to 
eating  in  this  manner,  and  ui'ged  me  to  be  seated.  In  Swedish  families 
there  generally  are  two  or  three  stands  or  small  tables  in  different  parts  of 
the  room,  to  which  any  of  the  family,  if  they  desire,  may  go  and  sit  while 
eating.  Special  neatness  and  excellent  cooking  were  noticeable  features. 
This  was  my  first  glimpse  into  the  home  life  of  a  Swedish  family. 

After  breakfast  Mi*.  Ollen  kindly  gave  two  hours  to  answering  my 
inquiries,  through  my  interpreter.  The  information  gathered  was  vague 
and  unsatisfactory  ;  we  did  not  seem  to  understand  each  other ;  and  I 
now  became  convinced  that  the  fault  was  in  the  incompetency  of  the  in- 
terpreter. He  did  as  well  as  he  could,  and  in  every-day  matters  did  very 
well ;  but  he  was  ignorant  in  both  Swedish  and  English  and  his  vocabulary 
was  very  limited.  When  we  led  him  into  matters  of  church  polity  and 
doctrines  concerning  the  trinity,  atonement,  transubstantiation,  and  so  on, 
he  was  beyond  his  depth,  and  could  not  interpret  either  of  us.  Mr.  Ollen 
furnished  me  with  a  very  valuable  collection  of  confessions  of  faith  and 
church  rules  from  thirty  Free  Mission  churches  and  societies,  from  which 
extracts  are  given  hereafter. 


DR.  WALDENSTROM. 

During  Easter  week  Kev.  Dr.  Peter  Waldenstrom  (pronounced  Val-den- 
strom)  was  coming  down  from  his  home  in  Gene  (pronounced  Yav-la) 
to  preach  in  Stockholm  and  in  Gotenburg  (in  Swedish,  "Goteborg," 
and  pronounced  Yae-te-boor-ye.    Some  Swedish  sounds  cannot  be  perfectly 


IN   SWEDEN   AND   NORWAY.  j5 

shown  in  English).  Although  Dr.  Waldenstrom  did  not  originate  the 
Free  church  movement,  and  did  not  at  first  espouse  the  cause  of  "sep;v- 
ratism,"  yet  he  early  threw  his  great  powers  and  fertile  genius  into  the 
cause  with  which  he  was  always  in  sympathy.  I  was  glad  of  an  oppor- 
tunity to  hear  him  preach.  The  appointment  was  for  Thursday  at  G 
p.m.,  at  the  South  Mission  House.  At  that  hour,  on  a  week-day,  in  a  busy 
city,  an  audience  of  over  fifteen  hundred  persons  was  present.  He  an- 
nounced that  he  would  preach  again  the  next  day  (Friday)  at  11  a.m. 
Going  there  at  that  hour  I  found  that,  although  the  church  was  large  and 
had  galleries  on  the  four  sides  of  the  auditorium,  every  inch  even  of  stand- 
ing room  was  occupied,  including  the  vestibule,  while  many  had  to  re- 
main outside.  Not  less  than  three  thousand  persons  were  in  that  audi- 
ence. The  great  preacher  possesses  a  singular  power  over  his  audiences. 
His  weight  is  about  two  hundred  pounds  ;  he  does  not  move  about 
while  speaking ;  makes  few  gestures  ;  uses  no  notes,  speaks  in  the  simplest 
language,  with  many  illustrations  and  with  remarkable  clearness.  One 
cause  of  his  great  jDopularity  as  a  preacher  may  lie  in  the  fact  that  his  chief 
theme  is  drawn  from  the  words :  "  For  God  so  loved  the  world,"  etc. 
He  went  on  to  Gotenburg  and  there  preached  on  Saturday  and  Sunday 
in  the  great  "Bethlehem  church,"  to  audiences  which  were  said  to  num- 
ber over  five  thousand  persons.  He  is  an  indefatigable  worker.  His  phys- 
ical and  mental  powers  of  endurance  are  marvelous.  Returning  from 
his  long  journey  and  much  speaking,  he  apologized  for  not  stopping  over 
at  Stockholm  to  give  me  information  about  the  Free  church  movement,  by 
saying  that  he  must  lecture  at  Gene  that  evening  immediately  upon  his 
arrival.  He  urged  that  I  should  ride  with  him  as  far  at  least  as  Upsala 
(lat.  60°  N.),  which  would  give  us  two  and  one-half  hours  for  uninterrupted 
conversation.  Dr.  Waldenstrom  reads  English  quite  well  but  does  not 
speak  it,  and  we  were  obliged  to  converse  through  my  interpreter.  For- 
tunately, there  was  in  the  same  coupe  with  us  Mr.  John  Olsson,  a  senior 
law  student  in  the  State  University  of  Upsala,  an  admirer  of  Walden- 
strom, and  a  very  bright  and  friendly  young  man.  He  could  speak  and 
understand  some  English,  especially  words  of  Latin  or  Greek  origin — just 
the  words  on  which  my  guide  failed.  With  the  two  interpreters  we  got 
on  moderately  well,  gathering  from  each  other  only  "  the  half  sense  of  the 
first  translation." 

At  Upsala  we  walked  and  talked  while  the  train  waited,  after  which 
Dr.  Waldenstrom  gave  me  a  warm  farewell ;  then  again  from  the  open 
window,  inside  the  car,  in  accordance  with  time  Swedish  politeness,  he  sev- 
eral times  lifted  his  hat  and  bowed  adieu.  That  I  was  greatly  drawn 
toward  him  need  not  be  said.  Who  that  has  met  him  or  read  his  writings 
has  not  been  charmed  by  him  ?  Rev.  Dr.  H  M.  Dexter,  writing  to  The 
Congregationalist  from  Sweden,  says  of  Dr.  Waldenstrom  : 

We  found  him  to  be  a  man  of  singular  fascination,  and,  after  we  had  talked  a 
little  while  with  him,  we  were  quite  able  to  understand  how  it  is  that  thousands  always 


16  A   WIND   FROM   THE   HOLY    SPIRIT 

hang  upon  his  lips  when  he  makes  a  public  address.     I  have  seldom  seen  any  man 
whose  face  and  manner  more  winsomely  suggest  goodness,  with  greatness,  within. 

Dr.  Waldenstrom  has  a  magnificent  personal  presence.  Although  he  is 
forty-six  years  of  age  (on  July  20,  1884),  his  face  appears  twenty  years 
younger  in  its  freshness  and  innocence.  His  simple,  frank,  affectionate 
manner  wins  all  hearts.  He  is  styled  there  "Professor  of  Theology"  at  the 
State  school  at  Gefle,  having  three  hundred  pupils.  It  seems  to  be  what  Amer- 
icans would  call  a  preparatory  school.  What  an  inspiring  teacher  for  young 
men !  He  impresses  one  as  being  a  sincere,  joyous,  affectionate,  mighty  man. 
(See  frontispiece.)  He  has  a  wife ;  of  his  seven  children,  two  have  died. 
His  learning  is  said  to  be  profound  and  varied.  Besides  his  other  works 
he  has  published  four  books  in  Latin,  two  on  scientific  and  two  on  theo- 
logical subjects.  One  of  the  latter  is  entitled  "  De  Justificatione."  Some 
of  his  admirers  say  that  he  can  preach  in  both  the  Latin  and  Greek  lan- 
guages. 

THE  GOSPELS   IN   GOTHIC. 

Upsala  is  the  most  famous  university-town  in  Sweden,  and  is  historically 
and  intellectually  the  center  of  the  kingdom.  The  university  was  founded 
in  14X7  and  now  has  twelve  hundred  students.  The  old  cathedral,  founded 
in  1289,  and  the  ancient  castle,  are  objects  of  historic  interest.  Mr.  Olsson 
gave  me  my  first  view  of  the  interior  of  a  Swedish  student's  room,  showing 
order,  neatness,  and  comfort.  But  the  university  library  building  is  the 
Mecca  of  all  travelers,  since  it  contains,  among  its  two  hundred  and  forty 
thousand  volumes,  the  famous  treasure,  Codex  Argenteus,  a  translation  of 
the  Four  Gospels  into  the  Gothic  tongue  by  Bishop  Ulphilas,  dating  from 
the  fourth  century.  This  manuscript  is  above  price,  since  it  is  almost  the 
sole  source  for  our  knowledge  of  the  ancient  Gothic  language,  the  mother 
of  the  whole  family  of  Germanic  languages,  as  Sanskrit  is  of  the  Aryan 
family.  The  Swedes  value  it  above  the  entire  library  besides.  It  is 
written  on  one  hundred  and  eighty-eight  leaves  of  parchment,  in  gold  and 
silver  letters  on  a  reddish  ground,  and  very  heavily  bound  in  solid  silver. 
It  is  shown  under  glass  to  all  visitors. 


LEARNING   SWEDISH. 

Keturning  to  Stockholm  I  took  rooms  at  a  private  house,  No.  36  TJpp- 
landsgatan,  that  I  might,  at  least  for  a  little  time,  be  where  nothing  but 
Swedish  was  spoken.  The  door-plate  said :  '•  Enke  Fru  Thelander,"  which 
being  interpreted  is :  "Mrs.  Widow  Thelander."  In  such  circumstances,  from 
how  many  avenues  the  new  language  will  come  pouring  into  the  mind! 
You  must  learn  the  names  of  things  or  starve,  or  at  least  be  subject  to 
numberless  unexpected  and  ludicrous  embarrassments.  The  signs  on  the 
streets  are  your  large-letter  primer ;  the  furniture  of  your  room,  the  build- 


IN"   SWEDEN   AND   NORWAY.  17 

ings,  trees,  farms,  animals,  and  a  thousand  other  things  are  before  you  for 
object  lessons.  With  what  new  interest,  intent  to  catch  their  meaning, 
you  will  listen  to  the  family  conversations,  to  the  talk  of  the  children  and 
the  workman  upon  the  streets.  With  an  eagerness  that  will  not  be  refused 
you  pry  into  the  "dispatches  from  the  United  States"  in  the  morning 
papei-,  and  whether  you  know  anything  of  the  language  or  not  you  will 
somehow  read  them.  If  you  want  to  learn  to  speak  a  modern  language, 
go  where  it  must  come  in  at  every  pore. 

From  Rev.  Dr.  Eric  Nystrum  (pronounced  Nee-strom),  of  Stockholm, 
much  valuable  information  was  obtained.  He  stands  six  feet  four  inches 
high,  straight  as  an  arrow,  with  bushy,  curling  hair,  and  blue  eyes.  He 
was  for  three  years  a  missionary  among  the  Jews  at  Beirut,  in  Turkey  ;  for 
a  while  was  identified  with  the  Mission  churches,  but  is  now  again,  as  he 
was  reared,  a  Baptist.  He  is  an  accomplished  linguist ;  translates  at  sight 
from  the  Scriptures  in  Greek,  Hebrew,  Arabic,  and  Syriac  ;  speaks  several 
modern  languages,  and  English  with  especial  fluency  and  correctness. 
He  gave  me  some  lessons  in  the  Swedish  language  ;  answered  many  in- 
quiries ;  read  to  me  many  hours,  translating  at  sight,  from  various  Swed- 
ish documents ;  and  was  a  most  excellent  interpreter  in  both  public  and 
private. 

SWEDISH   CUSTOMS. 

At  an  evening  party  at  his  home,  held  in  honor  of  Mrs.  Nystrom's  "  Cal- 
endar Day,"  I  was  an  invited  and  interested  guest.  Several  persons  pres- 
ent spoke  some  English.  When  the  company  gathered  informally  around 
the  table  of  elegant  refreshments,  while  all  were  standing,  according  to 
Swedish  custom,  the  host  asked  the  Divine  blessing,  first  in  the  Swedish 
language,  and  then,  in  delicate  politeness  toward  the  American  guest,  re- 
peated the  prayer  in  English.  The  rooms  were  handsomely  furnished,  but, 
as  is  generally  the  case  in  Sweden,  the  floors  were  not  carpeted,  not  even  the 
parlor,  but  they  were  shining  clean.  Dr.  Nystrom  testified  that  the  Free 
Mission  brethren  were  a  large  body  of  excellent  Christian  people.  After 
visiting  in  Stockholm  all  the  Lutheran  churches,  witnessing  Easter  and 
confirmation  services ;  the  leading  Baptist  church  (where  on  Sunday 
morning  two  thousand  five  hundred  persons  listened  to  the  sermon  by  Dr. 
Nystrum)  ;  the  Baptist  Theological  School  ^  a  Mission  Sunday-school ;  the 
public  schools  ;  a  Blue  Ribbon  temperance  meeting  ;  heai-ing  Parliamentary- 
discussions,  and  breakfasting  with  the  secretary  of  the  Swedish  Branch 
of  the  Evangelical  Alliance,  Mr.  Karl  Aug.  Andersson,  and  his  earnest 
Christian  wife,  who  are  Lutherans,  I  began  to  summarize  the  facts  gath- 
ered about  the  Free  Mission  church  movement. 

MISTRUST. 

Some  things  were   clear:   that  such  a  movement  was   already  very 
strong,  was  provoking  bitter  opposition  from  the  Lutheran  State  church, 


18  A   WIND   FROM   THE   HOLY    SPIRIT 

and  that  its  adherents  were  accounted  on  all  sides  excellent  Christians. 
On  the  other  hand,  I  had  heard  it  often  charged  by  their  opponents  that 
they  were  loose  in  polity,  lacked  organization,  and  were  unsound  in  doc- 
trine. My  interviews  with  Dr.  Waldenstrom  and  Mr.  Ollen  had  been  too 
imperfectly  interpreted  to  sufficiently  clear  up  these  difficulties.  I  began 
to  think  that  perhaps  the  movement  had  not  yet  clearly  denned  itself,  and 
that  it  was  probably  too  early  for  Congregationalists  to  offer  their  fellow- 
ship. The  two  parties  might  be  as  the  two  Irishmen  were  who  met  unex- 
pectedly and  greeted  each  other  with,  "Mike,  how  do  you  do?"  and 
"How  are  you,  Pat  ?  "  Then  finding  they  were  both  mistaken,  Pat  said  : 
"  An'  I  thought  it  was  you,  an'  you  thought  it  was  me,  an'  behold,  tf* 
nayther  of  us  !  " 

KRISTINEHAMN. 

Leaving  Stockholm  on  May  3d,  where  the  birds  had  already  begun 
their  songs,  at  2.30  a.m.  (N.  lat.  59£°),  I  went  to  Kristinehamn  to  visit 
the  Mission  Theological  School.  The  days  spent  there  were  the  most 
delightful  of  all  that  I  passed  in  Scandinavia.  The  interpreters  were 
good  and  in  sympathy  with  my  errand  ;  copious  facts  were  obtained  ;  all 
mistrust  of  the  Free  Mission  movement  vanished  from  my  mind.  I  found 
that  the  Lord  was  indeed  again  repeating,  in  Sweden  and  in  Norway,  the 
historic  providences  by  which,  three  centuries  ago,  he  led  forth  his  people 
ffrom  the  national  church  of  England  to  plant  churches  on  the  New  Testa- 
ment plan,  both  in  old  England  and  in  the  New  World. 

Kristinehamn  (the  recent  usage  in  Sweden  is  to  begin  this  and 
similar  words  with  "  K  "  rather  than  "  C  ")  is  a  town  of  5,000  people,  situ- 
ated at  the  northeast  extremity  of  Lake  Wenern  (pronounced  Venern). 
Although  the  station  is  a  long  walk  from  the  school,  I  was  met  there  and 
most  warmly  welcomed  by  President  E.  J.  Ekman,  Professor  Fernholm, 
Kev.  C.  O.  Crest  (a  returned  missionary  from  Finland),  Eev.  C.  J.  Eng- 
vall  (about  to  start  as  missionary  in  Kussia),  and  several  theological 
students.  President  Ekman  urged,  through  an  interpreter,  that  I  would 
make  his  house  my  home,  and  stay  as  long  as  was  convenient.  As  this  ar- 
rangement would  promote  the  object  of  my  visit  it  was  gladly  accepted, 
and  four  days  of  precious  memory  were  passed  in  his  interesting  family. 
He  planned  every  hour  so  as  to  afford  me  the  best  opportunities  to  facili- 
tate my  inquiries  ;  would  have  the  parlor  given  up  to  my  exclusive  use  ; 
kept  Missionary  Orest  there  also,  that  an  interpreter  might  constantly  be 
at  hand  ;  and  arranged  social  gatherings  which  were  highly  enjoyed  by 
his  guest. 

MUTUAL   INQUIRIES. 

It  was  Saturday  afternoon  ;  we  gathered  in  the  parlor  ;  there  were 
present  President  Ekman  (pronounced  Ak-man),  who  reads  English  but 
speaks  it  very  little  ;  Professor  Andreas  Fernholm,  who  speaks  and  under- 


IN   SWEDEN   AND   NORWAY.  id 

stands  English  moderately  well,  and  who  is  so  strikingly  like  an  American 
in  personal  appeai'ance  that  he  would  pass  even  in  Boston  for  a  Beacon 
Street  full-blood  ;  Missionaries  C.  O.  Orest  and  C.  J.  Engvall,  both  of 
whom  have  been  in  the  Guinness  Training  School  in  London  and  have 
a  considerable  knowledge  of  English  ;  a  theological  student  preparing  to 
o-o  as  a  missionary  to  South  Africa  ;  Mrs.  Ekman  and  Mrs.  Fernholm. 
The  latter  lady  speaks  English,  but  Mrs.  Ekman  does  not,  and  said  re- 
gretfully, through  an  interpreter  :  "  Since  we  are  all  children  of  the  same 
Lord,  it  is  a  pity  we  cannot  converse  with  each  other.''  Until  11  p.m.  we' 
compared  notes  ;  I  asking  about  their  doctrines,  methods,  history,  and 
they  as  eagerly  making  similar  inquiries  about  us.  Sometimes  it  required 
the  help  of  all  the  English-speaking  Swedes  and  our  lexicons  to  be  mutu- 
ally understood,  and  on  both  sides  not  a  few  laughable  blunders  were 
made.  Those  who  seem  to  be  well  acquainted  with  a  new  language  are 
liable  to  find,  unexpectedly  and  in  many  sentences,  words  which  they  can- 
not interpret  and  others  which  they  cannot  understand. 

This  was  specially  illustrated  when  I  was  invited  to  address  the  theo- 
logical students.  The  interpreter,  who  was  ordinarily  successful,  gave  up 
after  a  few  sentences,  and  we  had  failed  had  not  another  brother,  more 
acquainted  with  English,  opportunely  arrived.  Our  progress  in  gathering 
mutual  information  was  slow,  but  very  interesting.  They  keenly  watched 
to  hear  how  an  American  would  use  and  pronounce  the  English  language 
— the  foreign  tongue  in  which  they  take  most  interest.  Travelers  from 
England  are  not  infrequent  in  Sweden,  but  native  Americans  are  rarely 
seen  there.  Getting  their  pronunciation  from  England,  they  were  falling 
into  "Englishisms."  I  hastened  to  assure  them  that  if  they  would  leam 
to  pronounce  the  English  language  correctly  they  must  get  it  from  Ameri- 
cans !  at  which  they  seemed  much  amused. 

MUTUAL  JOY. 

Their  surprise  and  joy  at  finding  that  there  were  chui'ches  among 
English-speaking  people  so  closely  akin  to  their  own  was  manifested  some- 
times with  tears,  and  with  many  fervent  ejaculations  of  "  Thank  the  Lord  !  " 
I  now  began  to  think  that  the  Congregationalists  and  the  Free  Mission 
Swedes,  instead  of  being  like  the  Irishmen,  as  before  related,  were  rather 
like  the  Swedish  lovers  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  who  after  a  happy  courtship 
were  about  to  marry,  when  they  (both  being  orphans)  discovered  that  they 
were  brother  and  sister. 

Social  gatherings  were  also  held  at  Professor  Fernholm's,  at  the  resi- 
dence of  the  superintendent  of  the  public  schools,  and  at  the  Americanized 
home  of  a  Swedish  gentleman  and  wife,  who  after  becoming  wealthy  in 
the  United  States  had  returned  to  spend  their  last  years  in  their  native 
land.  These  families  and  the  several  families  of  invited  guests  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Mission  church  there.     More  earnest  Christians  I  have  never 


20  A    WIND   FROM   THE   HOLY   SPIRIT 

met.  Their  genuine  politeness  to  each  other  in  the  smallest  matters,  af- 
fectionate ways,  reluctance  to  speak  of  the  faults  of  any,  meekness,  prayer- 
fulness,  love  and  reverence  for  the  Bible,  and  zeal  for  the  cause  of  missions, 
were  very  noticeable.  The  "Moody  and  Sankey  Gospel  Songs,"  translated 
into  Swedish,  are  in  every  home.  Mrs.  Professor  Fernholm  would  play 
the  piano  and  sing  these  songs  in  Swedish  or  English.  Each  of  these 
social  evening  gatherings  was  closed  with  the  reading  of  a  chapter  in  the 
Bible,  singing,  in  which  all  joined  heartily,  and  prayer.  Their  minds 
seemed  to  be  waiting  upon  the  Lord,  and  eagerly  receptive  of  scriptural 
truth.  At  one  of  these  gatherings  the  sixteenth  chapter  of  the  Gospel  of 
John  was  read ;  no  remarks  were  made,  but  several  in  the  room  were  sob- 
bing before  the  reading  ended.  They  seemed  to  be  very  near  to  Christ, 
and  to  be  themselves  a  part  of  the  group  at  that  last  meeting  of  the  disci- 
ples with  their  Lord.  And  then  the  prayers  (while  sitting  with  bowed 
heads) — how  earnest  and  how  full  of  child-like  naturalness,  teachableness, 
and  pleading  with  God.  Every  soul  in  that  room  seemed  to  be  in  prayer, 
and  no  eyes  were  dry.  Their  guest  was  commended  to  God  on  his  return 
joui-ney,  and  thanks  were  given  for  new-found  Christian  brethren  across 
the  seas.     The  Spirit  was  present.     It  was  good  to  be  there. 

A  COUNTRY  CHURCH  IN  SWEDEN. 

On  Sunday  morning  President  Ekman  preached  at  a  church  several  miles 
in  the  country,  and  I  went  along.  The  pulpit  was  well  up  toward  the  ceil- 
ing, very  small  and  boxed  up,  situated  near  one  corner  of  the  room  ;  its 
floor  was  four  feet  above  the  heads  of  the  people,  and  it  could  be  reached 
only  from  another  room.  Not  over  half  the  audience  could  look  at  the 
speaker  without  discomfort,  and  some  could  not  see  him  at  all.  The 
squeaky  cabinet  organ  was  similarly  boxed  up,  high  in  another  corner. 
The  ladies  and  gentlemen  sat  separately  ;  and  the  ladies  (about  seventy-five), 
every  one,  wore  small  black  silk  head-shawls  instead  of  bonnets.  No  other 
color  or  st3Tle  was  worn,  and  the  appearance  was  very  somber.  In  the 
cities  in  Sweden  not  many  of  these  head-shawls  are  worn.  About  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  persons  were  present ;  the  sermon  was  upon  the  love  of  God, 
and  was  one  hour  and  one-quarter  long.  The  strong  voice,  musical  enun- 
ciation, and  glowing  earnestness  of  the  speaker  were  very  impressive,  and 
many  of  his  audience  were  at  times  in  tears.  He  illustrated  his  theme  with 
a  touching  story  of  a  mother's  love  for  an  erring  daughter,  which  I  had 
heard  six  years  before  in  an  address  by  Dr.  Henry  M.  Storrs  at  Lawrence, 
Kansas. 

At  four  o'clock  that  clay  President  Ekman  preached  again  in  the  large 
"  Mission  House  "  in  Kristinehamn,  the  pastor,  Bev.  A.  Wikstrom,  being 
absent.  The  building  would  seat  about  two  thousand  persons,  and  the 
friends  estimated  that  fourteen  hundred  were  present  at  this  service.  At 
the  close  the  audience  were  dismissed  with  the  announcement  that  the 


IN   SWEDEN   AND   NORWAY.  21 

members  of  the  church  would  assemble  again  in  half  an  hour,  for  the  re- 
ception of  members  and  the  celebration  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 

A   DOORKEEPER   AT   THE   COMMUNION. 

I  then  learned  that  on  communion  occasions  "  a  doorkeeper  in  the 
house  of  my  God  "  was  on  duty,  and  none  were  permitted  to  enter  who  did 
not  present  a  certificate  of  membership.  The  explanation  was  that  since 
there  is  in  Sweden  a  State  church  at  whose  communion  services  all  citizens, 
good  and  bad,  may  participate,  without  the  doorkeeper  and  the  cards  of 
admittance,  the  house  would  be  filled  with  communicants  who  have  thus 
"  with  the  mouth  confessed,"  but  who  have  not  "  with  the  heart  believed 
unto  righteousness." 

The  church-membership  was  628,  and  on  that  day  23  more  were  ad- 
mitted, "  of  such  as  should  be  saved."  Those  beuig  received  (one  of  whom 
had  been  a  Methodist  and  another  an  Episcopalian  in  the  United  States) 
came  forward  to  the  front  seats,  and  were  tenderly  and  appropriately  ad- 
dressed by  Professor  Fernholm,  who  had  formerly  been  pastor  of  that 
church.  They  then  kneeled,  and  the  ministers  present  put  each  hand 
upon  the  head  of  one  of  them,  while  the  deacons  came  forward  and  put 
their  hands  upon  others  until  all  the  new  members  received  "  the  laying  on 
of  hands  ; "  then  prayers  of  consecration  followed.  When  they  had  risen 
the  Lord's  Supper  was  administered,  the  service  being  in  every  respect 
as  in  the  Congregational  churches  in  our  own  country.  In  only  two  re- 
spects did  any  of  these  public  services  differ  from  similar  occasions  among 
Congregational  churches  in  the  United  States.  One  was  the  kneeling  of 
the  incoming  members,  instead  of  standing,  as  with  us  ;  the  other  was  in 
the  responses  of  the  Swedish  congregation  during  the  prayers.  While  the 
people  were  being  led  in  prayer,  murmuring  responses  and  individual  peti- 
tions, most  earnest,  were  heard  in  every  part  of  the  audience.  Every  Up, 
apparently,  was  engaged  in  supplicating  prayer  of  its  own.  These  were  not 
noisy — not  the  least  Methodistic  nor  disconcerting  ;  but  from  hundreds 
of  tongues  half-audible  praises,  adoration,  or  petition  went  up  to  the 
throne  of  grace.  Christ  was  there.  He  made  his  face  to  shine  upon  them. 
We  could  almost  see  "the  gates  of  pearl  "  beyond  which  no  Babel  tongues 
shall  hinder  the  fellowship  of  the  children  of  God.  "And  when  they  had 
sung  a  hymn,  they  went  out." 

SCHOOL   OF   THE  PROPHETS. 

The  "  School  of  the  Prophets  "  at  Kristinehamn  was  begun  only  five 
years  ago  ;  it  was  a  pressing  necessity  of  the  Free  church  movement.  The 
newness  of  the  organization,  lack  of  sufficient  means,  and  the  exigencies  in 
the  mission  fields  led  them  to  receive  some  students  who  had  had  very 
little  preparatory  training,  and  to  limit  their  course  at  present  to  two 


22  A   WIND   FROM   THE   HOLY    SPIRIT 

years.  It  includes  no  Hebrew,  and  generally  no  Greek,  but  in  some  cases 
embraces  very  elemental  branches.  The  modern  languages  are  studied, 
especially  English  ;  but  the  chief  study  is  the  Bible  in  their  own  tongue. 
Each  class  has  six  recitations  per  week,  during  the  whole  two  years,  in 
Bible  study  under  President  Ekman.  In  this  time  they  go  over  with  the 
instructor  every  chapter  in  the  Bible.  My  observation  was  that  no  more 
pious  or  consecrated  young  men  are  to  be  found  in  any  theological  school, 
and  in  readiness  to  find  or  cite  almost  any  passage  of  Scripture,  they  are 
not  often  equaled.  They  are  not,  however,  college-bred  men.  Professor 
Fernholm  says :  "  Very  few  of  our  pastors  have  had  a  college  or  university 
education." 

The  school  buildings  are  inexpensive,  of  two  stories  and  built  of  wood  ; 
and  there  is  as  yet  no  library  worth  mentioning,  nor  any  endowment 
funds.  The  American  or  English  Christian  who  shall  put  a  few  thousands 
of  dollars  into  that  school  will  have  done  a  great  thing  for  the  cause  of 
Christ,  in  more  lands  than  one.     Who  will  do  it? 

.  President  Ekman  won  my  heart ;  and  he  is  greatly  beloved  throughout 
Sweden  and  by  his  countrymen  in  this  land.  He  is  nearly  six  feet  high, 
weighs  about  two  hundred  and  twenty -five  pounds,  and  has  robust  health. 
He  has  a  noble  countenance,  in  which  are  clearly  stamped  manliness, 
kindness  of  heart,  fervent  piety,  and  strength  of  intellect.  With  great 
physical  powers,  and  with  mental  endowments  and  energy  to  match,  he 
has  thrown  his  whole  force  into  the  Free  Mission  church  movement.  He 
was  forty-two  years  of  age,  January  8,  1884,  and  has  five  children.  He  is 
a  wise,  conscientious,  courageous  worker  in  a  movement  which  God  has  set 
upon  a  hill.  The  readers  of  these  pages  will  be  glad  to  see  the  engraving 
of  him  presented  in  this  volume.  It  was  the  purpose  to  present  some 
translations  from  his  books,  but  circumstances  have  prevented. 

Upon  my  way  home  I  received  at  Liverpool  the  following  letter  from 
Professor  Fernholm,  which  deepens  my  pleasant  recollections  of  the 
friends  at  Kristinehamn  : 

Kristinehamn,  Sweden,  May  10,  1884. 
Dear  Sir  :  It  is  with  great  satisfaction  we  remember  your  short  visit  here,  feeling 
that  you  will  have  a  lasting  room  in  our  hearts,  as  you  and  our  sister  congregations  in 
America  will  have  in  our  prayers  hereafter.  We  thank  you,  sir,  for  your  coming  over 
the  wide  ocean  to  discover  us  and  tie  the  bond  of  union  and  fellowship  between  us 
and  our  Christian  brethren  and  sisters  in  America. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ekman,  as  also  my  wife,  ask  to  be  remembered  to  you. 
In  brotherly  love,  yours  iu  Christ, 

Andreas  Fernholm. 

GOING  TO    NORWAY. 

Setting  out  from  Kristinehamn  for  the  Norse  land,  the  route  goes 
upward  over  the  almost  mountainous  ridge  which  separates  the  king- 
doms  of   Sweden  and  Norway  as  far   northward  as  Kongsvinger,   then 


IN   SWEDEN   AND   NORWAY.  23 

rapidly  descends  to  Kristiania,  the  capital  of  Norway.  Kristiania  is  a 
rapidly  growing  city  of  120,000  population,  modern  in  appearance,  en- 
terprising, and  charmingly  situated  at  the  innermost  head  of  Kris- 
tiania Fjord  (pronounced  F-yord),  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  the 
open  sea,  and  has  a  picturesque  background  of  lofty  hills.  These  fjords 
are  the  wonder  of  Norway.  They  are  exceedingly  numerous  along  the 
entire  sea-coast  of  that  country,  cutting  it  into  rugged  and  grand  scenery. 
In  long,  narrow  tongues  of  sea,  with  rocky,  precipitous,  and  lofty  coasts, 
they  jut  inland  scores,  and  even  hundreds  of  miles.  They  might  well  be 
called  the  teeth  of  an  angry  sea,  seeking  to  crush  between  its  jaws  the 
peninsula  of  Scandinavia.  I  met  travelers  familiar  with  both  who  claimed 
that  Norway  has  grander  scenery  than  Switzerland.  English  and  Amer- 
ican tourists  through  Norway  to  North  Cape  are  yearly  increasing. 

The  day  after  my  arrival  was  "  Bedja  Dag  "  (May  9th),  the  national 
"Prayer  Day,"  the  origin  of  which  is  not  well  settled.  It  is  a  national  holy- 
day  ;  work  is  suspended  more  than  on  the  Sabbath ;  all  the  churches  have 
service,  and  many  thousand  people  are  upon  the  streets  in  their  best  attire. 
I  went  to  several  churches,  some  of  them  of  great  size,  and  all  were  filled  to 
overflowing.  At  the  door  of  the  largest  Lutheran  church  the  policeman 
claimed  that  five  thousand  persons  were  inside,  and  that  hundreds,  unable 
to  get  in,  had  gone  away  ;  at  the  armory,  over  three  thousand  people  were 
listening  to  the  eloquent  monk.  Norwegian  ladies  of  the  best  classes  dress 
with  especially  good  taste.  There  was  very  little  in  the  personal  appear- 
ance, dress,  or  behavior  of  either  ladies  or  gentlemen  in  that  throng  of 
people  which  would  distinguish  them  from  a  similar  outpouring  of  native 
Americans  in  any  of  our  cities.  The  Storthing  (Norwegian  Parliament, 
pronounced  stoor-ting),  in  the  midst  of  its  brave  constitutional  conflict 
with  the  king,  had  adjourned  for  "Bedja  Dag"  (pronounced  Bad-yah 
Dag).  Its  distinguished  president,  Mr.  Sverdrup  (since  made  Premier  in 
the  king's  Norwegian  cabinet),  is  an  uncle  of  Rev.  Mr.  Sverdrup,  of  Minne- 
apolis, President  of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  Augsburg  Theological  Sem- 
inary. Another  gentleman  is  in  that  Parliament  whom  the  Norwegians 
call  "  a  mighty  man,"  Pastor  Larz  Oftedal,  of  Stavanger,  and  brother  of 
Professor  S.  Oftedal,  also  of  Augsburg  Seminary,  Minneapolis.  Pastor 
Oftedal  is  a  preacher  of  great  eloquence,  belongs  to  the  progressive  wing 
of  the  Lutheran  State  church,  and  is  such  a  power  among  the  people  on 
the  Liberal  side  that  he  is  most  cordially  hated  by  the  Conservatives. 

FRIENDS   FOUND. 

My  professional  guide  insisted  that  there  was  no  "Free  Mission" 
church  in  Kristiania  ;  it  was  impossible,  or  he  should  have  known  of  it ;  but 
I  knew  better,  and  directed  him  to  find  the  residence  of  Mr.  M.  Hanson. 
He  was  at  home  ;  was  "leader  "  of  the  Mission  church  ;  introduced  to  me 
an  excellent    interpreter,  in   sympathy  with  my  work,  Mr.    Neils  A.   S. 


24  A    WIND   FROM   THE  HOLY    SPIRIT 

Eie,  and  so  the  professional  lost  his  situation.  Mr.  Eie  was  of  much  ser- 
vice to  me  and  would  have  no  compensation.  I  attended  the  service  of 
the  Mission  friends  at  6  p.m.  on  Bedja  Dag.  They  were  just  laying  the 
foundations  of  a  .house  of  worship,  and  were  worshiping  in  a  gymna- 
sium, where  a  great  audience  was  present.  Their  singing  was  hearty 
and  joyous.  The  first  song  was  "  Wonderful  Words  of  Life,"  translated 
into  their  own  language,  but  keeping  the  same  tune.  How  it  thrilled  me 
to  hear  in  that  far-off  land,  and  so  unexpectedly,  that  song  burst  forth 
from  hundreds  of  worshiping  tongues !  The  sermon  was  by  Be  v.  S.  K. 
Didrickson,  a  Norwegian  youth  of  about  twenty-two  years,  fine  looking, 
robust,  earnest,  humble,  consecrated,  who  had  enjoyed  little  training. 
When  he  had  closed  they  invited  me  to  speak,  and  I  gave  them  a  brief 
account  of  the  history  and  present  strength  of  their  Congregational  breth- 
ren in  England  and  America.  This  greatly  astonished  them,  and  awakened 
many  audible  responses.  When  I  told  them  that  some  of  our  forefathers 
in  England  had  suffered  martyrdom  for  the  sake  of  a  New  Testament 
church,  untrammeled  by  State  power,  many  expressions  of  sympathy  came 
from  the  audience. 

A   LADY   INTERPRETER. 

My  remarks  were  well  interpreted  by  Miss  C.  Juell,  a  wealthy  Christian 
lady  of  that  city  who  had  traveled  extensively  in  the  United  States. 
Like  Lydia,  her  heart  was  opened,  while  sojourning  in  a  foreign  land,  to  see 
that  a  State  church  is  not  a  church  after  the  idea  of  Christ  and  the  apos- 
tles ;  and  she  is  doing  much  for  the  Mission  friends,  who  are  generally 
from  the  poorer  classes.  She  has  given  4,000  kronors  (over  $1,000)  towards 
building  their  house  of  worship,  and  has  written  special  thanks  for  the 
contribution  taken  for  the  Norwegian  friends  at  the  Saratoga  anniversary 
of  the  American  Home  Missionary  Society.  With  great  earnestness  and 
force  she  pleads  that  these  Free  Mission  churches  in  Norway  should  be 
promptly  and  liberally  helped  by  American  Christians,  and  must  be,  if  the 
movement  is  to  be  guarded  against  serious  disasters. 

PREACHING   IN   NORWAY. 

I  could  not,  somehow,  turn  away  from  these  Norwegian  Christians  so 
quickly  as  had  been  planned,  and  remained  over  the  Sabbath,  preaching 
for  them  in  the  morning,  Mr.  Eie  being  interpreter,  and  an  audience  of 
eight  hundred  present.  That  was  a  most  interesting  and  responsive  con- 
gregation. It  was  touching  to  see  their  eager,  upturned  faces,  so  hungry 
for  the  gospel  and  so  receptive  of  its  truth.  Many  wept ;  waves  of  mur- 
muring responses  and  prayers  passed  through  the  audience.  Afterward 
I  learned  that  at  the  close  of  the  service  they  had  held  an  inquiry  meeting, 
and  some  confessed  Christ.  No  Christian  work  has  yet  drawn  so  deeply 
upon  my  sympathies  as  that  among  the  young  and  struggling  Free  Mission 


IN   SWEDEN   AND   NORWAY.  25 

churches  in  Norway,  because  they  so  much  need  nurturing  care.  I  began 
to  question  whether  I  was  a  home  or  a  foreign  missionary  ;  then  re-read 
the  book  of  Acts  to  see  what  Paul  was,  and  was  delighted  to  find  that  he 
was  both  !  When  we  have  entered  into  the  depths  of  the  missionary  spirit, 
ocean  breadths  shrink  to  narrow  streams,  and  the  cause  of  Christ  every- 
where is  one. 

Rev.  Johnson  is  the  presiding  elder  of  the  Methodist  work  in 

Norway.  He  is  a  native  of  that  country,  but  was  for  some  years  in  the 
United  States.  In  his  absence  Mrs.  Johnson  answered  many  inquiries, 
took  us  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  service,  and  invited  us  to  be  among 
several  guests  to  tea  at  the  Methodist  Episcopal  parsonage.  A  delightful 
evening  was  spent  in  hearing  narrations  of  experience  in  the  Free  church 
work  in  Norway,  especially  of  the  persecutions  of  Methodist  Episcopal 
ministers  by  the  State  church.  Mrs.  Johnson  speaks  as  good  English  as  if 
she  were  a  native  American,  and  has  a  good  voice  ;  and  after  hearing  for- 
eign languages  most  of  the  time  for  two  months,  it  was  very  pleasant  to 
hear  her  sing,  in  English,  "My  Faith  looks  up  to  Thee,"  "Mercy's  Free," 
and  many  other  songs.  Before  separating  the  company  repeated  passages 
of  Scripture,  and  in  prayer  the  Lord  was  asked  to  give  rich  blessings  to 
his  work  and  to  his  workers  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic. 

QUESTIONS   ABOUT   POLYGAMY. 

It  was  a  long  day's  ride  by  rail  from  Kristiania  southward  down  into 
Sweden  to  Gotenburg,  the  second  city  in  size  (80,000  population)  in 
that  kingdom.  Here,  as  elsewhere,  I  must  not  linger  to  speak  of  many 
things  in  those  countries  which  are  of  interest  to  Americans.  One  item  I 
must  not  omit :  in  every  country  through  which  I  had  passed  torturing 
questions  had  been  asked  me  as  to  why  the  United  States  permitted  the 
blot  of  polygamy  to  continue  ;  and  ivhy  the  emissaries  (falsely  called  mis- 
sionaries) of  Mormonism  were  allowed  to  go  to  the  countries  of  Europe  to 
entice  scores  and  hundreds  of  their  daughters  annually  to  become  the  vic- 
tims of  that  Utah  curse.  Many  times  these  inquiries  from  indignant  Euro- 
peans had  mantled  my  cheeks  with  shame,  for  I  could  give  no  answer.  On 
this  journey  an  aged  Norwegian  business  man,  of  much  intelligence  and  fine 
spirit,  whose  sons  had  already  gone  to  the  United  States,  after  saying  that 
a  Mormon  emissary  had  for  months  been  holding  meetings  in  Kristiania, 
asked  why  the  "  Americans  "  do  not  abolish  polygamy.  As  he  pressed  his 
question,  I  answered  that  there  was  no  good  reason  why,  and  that  its  long 
continuance  was  a  burning  shame  to  the  people  of  the  United  States.  Rising 
with  elevated  voice  and  flashing  eyes,  he  said  :  "  Then  why  in  the  name  of 
God  don't  you  stop  it?  "  I  was  dumb.  "Who  can  answer?  Can  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States  ?  Can  Congress  ?  Can  the  voters  of  this  land 
give  any  good  reason  why  that  infamous  iniquity  has  not  long  since  been 
abolished  ? 


26  A   WIND   FROM   THE  HOLY   SPIRIT 

A   SWEDISH  TABERNACLE. 

At  Gotenburg  the  Mission  church  of  over  one  thousand  members  has 
a  house  of  worship  of  great  size,  seating,  the  janitor  said,  five  thousand 
persons.  The  building  is  of  brick  and  has  many  rooms.  The  vast  audi- 
torium is  square,  very  plain,  has  uncushioned  pews,  a  broad  platform  for 
the  preacher,  very  wide  double  galleries  on  three  sides,  and  is  often 
crowded  to  overflowing  with  a  multitude  eager  to  hear  "  all  the  words  of 
this  life."  As  this  great  tabernacle  is  the  largest  Swedish  Free  Mission 
house  in  the  world,  an  illusti'ation  of  it  is  presented  on  the  opposite  page. 

In  the  published  annual  report  of  this  church  for  1883  (a  pamphlet  of 
twenty-seven  pages),  the  following  items  appeal1  in  the  treasurer's  exhibit 
of  cash  paid  : 

Kronors. 

Ev.  Fosterlands-stiftelsen  Foreign  Missions 363.50 

Swedish  Mission  Union 277.05 

Israelite  Mission 2.00 

Santal  Mission 1,131.50 

West  Coast  Mission  Society 262.00 

Orphan  Asylum 891.69 

Baptist  Chapel 273.00 

Sunday-school 208.00 

For  the  Poor 980.50 

Other  Benevolences 35.00 

Total 4,424.24 

This  would  be  about  $1,190  for  these  benevolences  for  one  year. 

THE  RELIGION  OF  SWEDEN. 

The  national  religion  of  Sweden  is  Lutheran.  The  Augsburg  Confes- 
sion of  Faith  was  long  since  adopted  as  the  national  confession,  and  the 
Lutheran  church  was  established  by  law  as  the  State  church.  The  king 
is  the  head  of  the  church  ;  it  is  supported  from  the  public  funds  ;  all  citi- 
zens are  members  of  the  church  and  have  the  right  to  partake  at  the  com- 
munion table  without  regard  to  character  ;  children  are  confirmed  at  four- 
teen years  of  age  ;  pastors  are  not  required  to  be  converted  men.  Until 
very  recent  years,  the  laws  of  Sweden  have  not  tolerated  any  other  form  of 
religion  ;  and  all  movements  toward  "separatism"  from  the  State  church 
have  been  visited  with  severe  penalties.  By  numerous  prosecutions,  fines, 
and  imprisonments  the  authorities  have  sought  in  vain  to  smother  every 
appearance  of  "dissenters."  Only  the  more  rapidly  and  widely  has  the 
discontent  with  the  State  church  spread. 


IN   SWEDEN    AND    NORWAY. 


A; rITJf 


28  A   WIND   FROM   THE   HOLY   SPIRIT 

This  religious  awakening  began  about  forty  years  ago,  from  the  preach- 
ing and  writings  of  Karl  Olaf  Rosenius.  He  was  a  Lutheran,  and  remained 
so  through  life.  For  over  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  exerted  a  wide  influ- 
ence,  seeking  to  arouse  the  State  church  from  its  spiritual  lethargy,  and 
pointing  it  towards  a  more  evangelical  position.  He  was  converted  at  the 
age  of  fifteen  by  reading  "  Faith's  Mirror  "  ("  Trospegel  "),  by  Pontoppidan, 
and  began  preaching  in  1836.  Removing  to  Stockholm  he  became  teacher, 
editor,  and  a  preacher  of  much  power.  Great  audiences  attended  his  preach- 
ing and  he  was  much  slandered  and  ridiculed.  He  often  made  extensive 
evangelistic  tours  through  various  parts  of  Sweden.  He  died  in  1868. 
Neither  Rosenius  nor  his  followers  had  any  purpose  of  leaving  the  State 
church.  Their  only  aim  and  hope  was  the  reformation  of  that  church  ;  a 
revival  of  true  religion  and  spiritual  life  within,  which  should  bring  her  up 
to  be  a  true  church  of  Christ.  Before  Rosenius  began  his  work  in  Stock- 
holm, a  Methodist  missionary  from  England,  Rev.  George  Scott  (a  native 
of  Scotland  ;  born  in  1804,  died  1874),  had  attracted  great  attention  by  his 
revivals.  Rosenius  co-operated  with  him,  and  though  they  differed  on 
many  doctrinal  points,  were  warm  friends  through  life.  Great  opposition 
and  persecution  was  visited  upon  Scott  and  Rosenius  from  State  church 
sources.  Scott  was  soon  mobbed  and  driven  out  of  the  country.  Seventeen 
years  afterward  he  returned,  to  be  received  with  honor  and  to  find  that  the 
work  he  began  had  steadily  gained  strength  under  the  guidance  of  other 
men. 

The  Baptists  of  the  United  States  began  some  missions  in  Sweden  about 
thirty-one  years  ago,  under  the  leadership  of  Rev.  Anders  "Wiberg,  who  yet 
survives  to  see  the  great  fruit  of  his  labors.  Methodism  has  not  prospered 
largely,  but  now  has  a  membership  in  Sweden  of  seven  to  twelve  thousand. 
The  Baptists  have  been  much  more  successful  and  have  done  great  good 
for  the  advancement  of  true  piety  and  religious  freedom  in  that  land,  and 
number  their  church- membership  at  about  twenty-six  thousand. 

Simultaneously  with  these  denominational  and  separatist  movements, 
another  spiritual  revival  has  been  going  on  inside  the  State  church.  It  is 
the  work  begun  by  Rosenius.  At  his  death  his  mantle  fell  upon  Rev.  P. 
Waldenstrom,  Ph.D.,  of  Gefle  (previously  mentioned),  a  professor  in  a  State 
school,  a  preacher  of  wonderful  power,  and  an  author  of  many  religious 
works,  doctrinal  and  practical,  of  some  of  which  forty  thousand  copies  have 
been  circulated.  He  was  originally  a  Lutheran  priest.  He  has  not  only 
taught  and  preached  almost  incessantly,  but  his  prolific  pen  has  poured 
forth  a  stream  of  books,  magazine  articles,  and  contributions  for  weekly 
papers,  which  have  had  an  inestimable  influence  in  guiding  and  spreading 
the  Free  Mission  movement.  He  is  the  author  of  some  forty  religious  pub- 
lications, of  which  about  thirty  are  pamphlets  on  timely  subjects,  while  the 
others  are  larger  volumes.  Some  of  those  most  widely  circulated  are  en- 
titled :  "God's  Eternal  Redemption,"  "  The  Suffering  One,"  and  "  The  Lord 
is  Righteous."     The  latter  book  is  a  meditation  on  the  twenty -fifth  psalm, 


IN   SWEDEN    AND   NORWAY.  29 

and  some  of  his  friends  claim  that  it  has  reached  a  circulation  of  seventy- 
five  thousand  copies.  From  a  Swedish  newspaper  office  in  Chicago  it  is 
said  that  ten  thousand  copies  of  this  work  were  distributed.  The  titles  of 
some  of  his  pamphlets  and  tracts  are :  "  God's  Lamb,"  "  In  the  Son  is  Life," 
"  What  shall  we  Preach?"  "  Yet  there  is  Room,"  "  Come,  even  you,"  etc. 

"A   WIND   FROM   THE   HOLY   SPIRIT." 

This  Free  Mission  awakening  has  been  especially  fortunate  in  the  char- 
acter and  ability  and  spiritual  richness  of  those  whom  God  has  led  to  the 
front.  These  Swedish  Christians  love  to  call  this  awakening  "A  wind  from 
the  Holy  Spirit,"  and  deny  that  they  are  following  any  human  leader,  but 
only  Christ.  One  of  them  writes  me  :■  "It  is  an  error  to  suppose  that  this 
Free  church  movement  has  been  developed  or  is  led  by  some  prominent  man. 
It  is  a  people's  movement,  begun  and  led  by  God."  Nevertheless,  God  molds 
men  and  nations  through  human  instrumentalities ;  and  so  in  this  movement 
some  men  have  been  conspicuously  prominent  and  God  has  made  them  to 
be  leaders,  organizers,  interpreters  of  the  Word,  and  teachers,  and  he  has 
put  his  Spirit  upon  them.  Among  several,  two  are  especially  leading 
spirits,  viz. :  Rev.  Dr.  P.  Waldenstrom  and  Rev.  E.  J.  Ekman,  President  of 
the  Mission  Union  and  of  the  theological  school  at  Kristinehamn.  Both 
have  done  and  are  doing  great  things  by  tongue  and  pen  ;  both  are  teach- 
ers, preachers,  editors,  and  authors.  President  Ekman  is  the  author  of 
several  religious  books,  doctrinal  and  practical.  Some  of  the  titles  are : 
"The  Lord  is  my  Light,"  "The  Tabernacle,  or  the  Shadow  and  Substance," 
"  The  Lord's  Supper,"  "  The  Sin  against  the  Spirit,"  etc.  Of  some  of  these 
thirty  thousand  copies  have  been  sold,  and  of  none  of  them  less  than  five 
thousand.  He  also  published,  in  1883,  a  new  hymn-book  called  the 
"  Trumpet  of  Peace,"  and  in  fifteen  months  after  its  appearance  eighty 
thousand  copies  had  been  sold.  When  we  consider  that  the  entire  popula- 
tion of  Sweden  is  only  4,600,000,  the  great  circulation  of  the  writings  of 
Waldenstrom  and  Ekman  shows  the  deep  hold  which  this  Free  chui*ch 
movement  has  obtained  in  Sweden,  in  spite  of  the  power  and  wealth  and 
opposition  of  the  State  church. 

There  have  been  many  other  distinguished  helpers  in  this  work,  such 
as  Professor  A.  Fernholm,  Mr.  C.  J.  Nyvall,  Dr.  Axel  Beskow ;  but  I  am 
not  sufficiently  acquainted  to  give  their  names. 

THE  ISSUES. 

This  movement  embraced  a  large  portion  of  the  real  Christians  in  the 
State  churches.  These  began  by  degrees  to  take  issue  with  the  State 
church  on  the  following  points  : 

That  a  State  church  including  in  its  membership  all  citizens  cannot  be 
a  true  church  of  Christ ; 

That  a  Christian  church  should  be  composed  of  those  only  who  are 
supposed  to  be  converted  ; 


30  A    WIND   FROM   THE  HOLY   SPIRIT 

That  only  converted  men  should  be  pastors  of  churches  ; 

That  only  those  should  be  allowed  to  partake  at  the  celebration  of  the 
Lord's  Supper  who  truly  believe  on  Christ. 

Upon  these  and  many  minor  questions  they  earnestly  sought  the  ref- 
ormation of  the  State  church,  with  no  thought  of  separation  from  it. 

At  first  these  earnest  Christians  began  to  meet  in  private  circles  to  par- 
take of  the  communion  together  ;  then  the  Lutheran  priests  refused  to 
serve  them  except  at  the  public  communions  in  the  State  churches.  This 
led  to  the  formation  of  "  Lord's  Supper  Societies,"  which  found  some  "  be- 
lieving priests  "  who  would  serve  them  at  the  communion  table,  or  they 
chose  one  of  their  own  members  to  act  in  that  capacity.  These  societies 
were  merged  into  what  were  called  "Mission  Societies"  for  general  Chris- 
tian work  ;  and  soon  these  "Mission  Societies  "  became  regularly  organized 
churches,  although  the  larger  number  have  not  changed  their  names. 
This  movement  has  now  come  to  have  very  large  numbers,  and  to  exert 
great  power  for  the  cause  of  Christ  in  Sweden  and  other  lands.  These 
churches  have  no  denominational  name,  and  the  separate  local  churches 
are  named  variously. 

APOSTOLIC  CHURCH  NAMES. 

In  a  published  list  of  157  of  these  churches  I  found  that  113  were 

named  "  The  Mission  Society  at ;  "  19  "  The  Free  Church  at ; " 

10  "  The  Christian  Church  at ;"  7  "  The  Brothers'  Society  at ;  " 

6  "  The  Brothers'  Church  at ;  "  1   "  God's  Church  in ; "  and  1 

"  The  Local  Church  at ." 

The  Lutheran  State  church  is  especially  bitter  toward  this  new  move- 
ment, which  is  drawing  so  heavily  upon  the  best  elements  in  that  church. 
They  seek  to  stigmatize  its  followers  by  calling  them  "  Waldenstromians," 
after  Dr.  Waldenstrom.  Perhaps  the  most  common  custom  among  them- 
selves, however,  designates  the  new  churches  as  "  Mission  churches,"  and 
this  will  be  the  most  convenient  name  for  Americans.  They  repudiate 
earnestly  the  name  "  Waldenstromian,"  and  any  intimation  that  they  follow 
any  human  leader ;  and  declare  that  their  models  are  only  Christ  and  the 
Bible.  These  churches  had  their  small  beginnings  about  twenty-five  years 
ago,  for  some  years  increased  slowly,  and  were  so  widely  separated  as  to  have 
little  fellowship  and  comfort  from  each  other  amid  their  sufferings  from 
their  civil-ecclesiastical  persecutors.  During  the  last  ten  years  the  move- 
ment has  gained  with  astonishing  rapidity,  but  these  churches  had  no 
general  and  distinctive  bond  of  union  or  of  co-operation  until  six  years  ago 
(1878).  At  that  time  they  formed  a  missionary  society  for  home  and  foreign 
work,  called  "  The  Swedish  Mission  Union  "  (Svenska  Missions  Fbrbundet). 
This  society  holds  an  annual  delegate  and  mass  meeting  lasting  three  days  ; 
besides  this,  the  churches  have  local  district  associations  which  meet  four 
times  each  year,  and  the  ministers  have  an  association  which  meets  yearly. 


IN   SWEDEN   AND   NORWAY.  31 

FOUR  HUNDRED  CHURCHES. 

Exact  statistics  of  all  these  Mission  churches  I  could  not  obtain. 
They  have  not  vet  published  a  year-book.  I  asked  President  Ekman  and 
Professor  Fernholm  to  give  me  a  close  estimate  of  the  number  of  these 
churches  and  their  membership.  They  had  published  lists  of  most  of 
them,  and  said  that  the  number  of  churches  was  not  less  than  400  and  the 
total  membership  about  100,000.  It  will  be  noted  that  this  is  an  average 
membership  of  250,  while  our  Congregational  churches  average  about  100 
members  ;  that  the  total  is  equal  to  one-fourth  the  entire  membership  of 
the  Congregational  churches  of  the  United  States,  and  about  equal  to  the 
combined  membership  of  all  the  Congregational  churches  of  Ohio,  Mich- 
igan, Illinois,  Iowa,  Wisconsin,  and  Minnesota.  These  Swedish  churches 
are  especially  strong  in  the  large  cities,  one  church  in  Stockholm  having 
a  membership  of  about  1,500,  one  in  Gene  of  1,200,  and  one  in  Goten- 
burg  of  1,000,  etc.  One  printed  list  which  I  saw  embraced  322  churches 
and  societies.  The  annual  report  for  1883  of  the  Wermland  Ansgarii 
Association  gives  a  list  of  70  churches,  with  as  complete  statistical  tables 
as  are  to  be  found  in  the  minutes  of  any  of  our  State  associations.  Some 
of  the  larger  churches  in  this  association  have  a  membership  as  follows : 
700,  628,  525,  508,  460,  405,  and  so  on  down.  The  smallest  has  12 
members,  one  has  13,  and  then  they  rise  to  26,  27,  35,  36,  44,  and  so 
on  up. 

This  exhibit  showed  that  among  these  70  churches  and  societies  there 
were  63  houses  of  worship  ;  26  having  no  meeting-house  ;  32  having  each 
one  house  ;  11  having  from  2  to  7  houses  of  worship  each;  and  one  is 
put  down  as  having  only  "  one-half  "  a  house.  By  this  is  probably  meant 
a  joint  ownership  with  another  party.  The  reason  why  some  churches 
have  more  than  one  house  is  because  in  such  cases  the  parish  embraces  a 
large  district,  having  houses  of  worship  in  different  parts  of  it,  while  in 
membership  they  are  united  in  one  church.  In  one  case  the  parish  is 
fourteen  miles  wide  by  twenty  miles  long,  and  has  seven  houses  of 
worship.     All  church  buildings  for  worship  are  called  "prayer  houses." 

These  Mission  churches  choose  out  from  among  themselves  one  whom 
they  call  the  "  leader  ;  "  sometimes  he  is  a  preacher,  but  more  generally 
he  is  a  layman  gifted  in  spiritual  life  and  wisdom.  He  has  general  over- 
sight of  the  meetings  in  the  absence  of  the  regular  minister,  and  such 
absences  are  much  more  common  with  the  Swedes  than  among  Americans. 
The  pastors  of  the  large  churches  visit  and  preach  among  the  weak 
churches  much  more  than  is  the  custom  with  us.  The  congregations 
thus  left  without  the  pastor  and  the  "  leaders  "  are  well  trained  to  go  right 
on  with  the  service.  A  published  list  of  churches  gives  the  name,  address, 
and  occupation  of  these  "  leaders."     From  one  list  I  copy  the  following  as 

designating  the  "  leaders  :  "    "  Mr.  A the  wood-turner  ;  "  "  Mr.  B 

the  miller;"    "Mr.  C the  glazier;"    "Mr  D the  painter,"  and 


32  A   WIND   FROM   THE   HOLY   SPIRIT 

so  on  ;  "  the  carpenter,"    "  the  lumberman,"   "  the  school-teacher,"  "  the 
member  of  Parliament,"  "  the  preacher." 

PERIODICALS. 
The  Mission  Union,  in  1883,  employed  twenty-two  foreign  missionaries 
(besides  those  who  labor  in  Norway),  of  whom  eleven  labor  in  Russia,  six  in 
Finland,  one  in  Lapland,  and  two  on  the  Congo  in  Africa.  They  have 
two  theological  schools,  the  first  having  been  opened  only  five  years  ago. 
Seven  religious  periodicals,  weeklies  and  monthlies,  are  in  sympathy  with 
this  Free  Mission  church  movement.  One  of  the  weeklies  has  a  circulation 
of  eleven  thousand.  For  this  paper,  The  Homeland's  Friend,  I  wrote  while 
at  President  Ekman's  house  an  article  six  columns  in  length,  entitled  "  The 
Similarity  between  the  Swedish  Mission  Churches  and  the  American  Con- 
gregational Churches,"  the  purpose  of  which  was  to  acquaint  our  Swedish 
Mission  friends  with  the  history,  polity,  doctrines,  missionary  work,  and 
strength  of  their  related  churches  in  other  parts  of  the  world.  The  article 
was  enriched  with  extracts  from  Dr.  Dexter's  "  Hand  Book  of  Congrega- 
tionalism "  and  from  Ross's  "  Pocket  Manual."  I  have  reason  to  believe 
that  to  nearly  all  Mission  Swedes  this  was  their  first  knowledge  that  such 
churches  as  theirs  had  long  since  existed  in  other  lands,  and  that  they 
received  this  information  with  great  joy.  This  article  was  translated  into 
the  Norsk  language  and  published  in  The  Morning-glow,  a  paper  of  similar 
sympathies  in  Kristiania,  Norway  ;  and  it  also  appeared  in  this  country 
in  The  Chicago  Bladet,  a  Swedish  Mission  weekly  published  in  Chicago, 
having  a  circulation  of  some  ten  thousand  copies. 

THE   TYPE  OF   PIETY. 

The  type  of  piety  among  these  Swedish  "  Free  Christians  "  (as  they  love 
to  call  themselves)  is  delightful.  They  are  peaceable,  meek,  fervent,  de- 
voted, upright,  especially  given  to  prayer  and  the  reading  of  the  Bible. 
This  was  the  uniform  testimony  in  their  behalf  by  Baptists,  Methodists, 
and  Lutherans.  The  Methodists  were  naturally  apt  to  remark  that  the 
Mission  churches  were  "  in  much  need  of  more  rules  and  regulations ! " 
With  most  singular  fidelity  and  simplicity  they  have  sought  to  follow  the 
New  Testament  idea  of  a  church  of  Christ ;  and  the  results  are  remark- 
able, and  well  worthy  the  careful  study  of  Christians  in  other  lands. 

These  Swedish  Free  churches  are  purely  Congregational.  In  polity, 
doctrines,  liberty,  and  variety  in  unity,  in  general  methods,  and  in  the 
leading  features  of  their  history,  they  are  Congregational  to  the  core.  Con- 
sidering that  they  are  a  people  isolated  from  the  world's  highways,  are 
of  different  language,  have  had  no  Congregational  missionaries  sent  to 
them,  have  known  nothing  of  the  Congrega^onal  churches  in  other 
parts  of  the  world,  and  have  thus  had  no  help  from  their  experiences  and 
precedents,  this  similarity  is  very  surprising.  It  is  also  gratifying  to  Con- 
gregationalists  and  instructive  to  students  of  church  history,  to  know  what 


IN   SWEDEN  AND   NORWAY.  o'-' 

sort  of  churches  have  been  thus  self- developed  in  another  land,  during  a 
time  of  keen  public  discussion  of  the  question,  "What  is  the  New  Testa- 
ment idea  of  a  true  church  of  Christ  ?  "  and  a  time  of  most  eager,  pro- 
found, and  reverent  study  of  the  Bible  for  light  on  this  question.  "  How 
is  it  written  f  "  is  their  favorite  inquiry,  in  their  determination  to  test  all 
religious  questions  by  God's  "Word. 

In  the  letter  from  Rev.  Dr.  P.  Waldenstrom  which  appears  in  these 
pages,  it  will  be  noted  that  he  says  (after  studying  Congregationalism  as 
expounded  by  the  sainted  Dr.  Leonard  Bacon,  Dr.  Dexter,  and  Dr.  Ross) 
that  "  these  Free  churches  are,  in  foundation  and  ground,  Congregational,  as 
you  yourself  know  by  your  visit  in  our  land."  So  far  as  self-government, 
the  independence  of  the  local  church,  and  the  fellowship  of  the  churches 
are  concerned,  no  churches  in  the  world  are  more  purely  and  firmly  demo- 
cratic and  Biblical  than  these  young  Free  churches  of  Sweden,  as  will 
abundantly  appear  from  their  church  confessions  and  rules  hereafter 
quoted. 

Are  these  Mission  churches  "orthodox?"  That  depends  upon  the 
meaning  given  to  that  term.  They  have  that  word  in  their  language,  with 
a  somewhat  different  meaning  from  that  it  has  in  English.  With  them,  he  is 
"  orthodox  "  who  adheres  in  all  particulars  to  the  Lutheran  Augsburg  Con- 
fession of  Faith.  When  they  began  to  take  issue  with  the  State  church, 
they  were  charged  with  want  of  orthodoxy ;  and  that  has  so  often  been 
repeated  that  the  term  with  them  now  signifies  a  belief  in  those  doctrines 
of  the  Lutheran  church  which  they  reject.  A  pastor  in  Minneapolis  in- 
quired of  a  Swedish  missionary  lady  whether  the  Mission  churches  were 
orthodox.  "  Oh !  no,"  she  replied,  "  they  are  not  orthodox  ;  they  are 
Scriptural!"  This  double  meaning  of  this  word  explains  the  cause  of 
much  of  the  mistrust  which  has  existed  among  Congregationalists  as  to  the 
doctrinal  soundness  of  these  Swedish  churches.  The  Lutherans  in  both 
countries  are  constantly  publishing  that  these  Free  church  people  are  "  not 
orthodox,"  and  American  readers,  not  understanding  the  special  meaning 
which  that  word  has  come  to  have  in  the  Swedish  and  Norwegian  lan- 
guages, are  misled  by  it. 

The  Swedish  Mission  churches  are  thoroughly  evangelical,  and  are  also 
soundly  "  orthodox,"  in  the  American  sense  of  that  word.  There  is, 
happily,  much  liberty  among  them  on  doctrinal  questions,  as  their  church 
confessions,  hereafter  quoted,  will  show.  There  is  also  that  variety  of  be- 
lief, along  with  unity  in  essentials,  which  would  naturally  grow  out  of  this 
precious  Christian  liberty  in  times  of  great  religious  activity.  There  is 
among  them  not  less  liberty  in  non-essentials  than  with  Congregational 
churches  in  this  land.  There  is  also  as  general  doctrinal  soundness,  and 
no  more  varieties  of  belief  or  divergences  than  among  Congregationalists. 
The  favorite  charge  of  the  Lutherans,  that  they  do  not  believe  in  the 
divinity  of  Christ,  is  so  utterly  without  foundation  that  it  is  strange  it 
should  be  repeated ;  and  vet  prominent  Lutheran  ministers  and  periodi- 
3 


34  A    WIND   FROM   THE   HOLY   SPIRIT 

cals  in  this  country,  as  also  in  Sweden  and  Norway,  continue  to  make  this 
assertion.  In  regard  to  the  Lord's  Supper  and  baptism,  Dr.  Walden- 
strom yet  holds,  in  some  minor  points  only,  the  Lutheran  view  ;  while 
President  Ekman  on  those  points  holds  as  most  Congregationalists  do. 
On  the  other  hand,  President  Ekman  and  Professor  Fernholm  believe  that 
immersion  of  adults  only  was  the  most  common  mode  of  baptism  in  New 
Testament  times,  while  Dr.  Waldenstrom  holds  to  infant  baptism  by 
sprinkling.  And  these  brethren  co-work  most  harmoniously.  In  this 
country,  those  Baptists  who  do  not  accept  close  communion  views  are  di- 
vided into  seven  separate  sects.  This  is  a  wretched  and  needless  state  of 
affairs.  All  these  and  Congregationalists,  under  some  common  name, 
might  well  and,  as  many  think,  should  co-operate. 

The  enemies  of  this  movement  make  much  ado  about  Dr.  Waldenstrom's 
views  of  the  atonement.  Starting  with  the  idea  that  it  was  man  that 
needed  to  be  reconciled  with  God,  and  not  God  that  needed  to  be  rec- 
onciled with  man,  he  unfolds  a  view  of  the  atonement  that  is,  perhaps, 
nearer  to  what  we  call  the  Bushnellian  theory  than  to  any  other,  and  yet 
iis  not  identical  with  it.  On  this  point,  however,  President  Ekman  holds  a 
more  conservative  view.  Concerning  it  Rev.  Dr.  Dexter  writes  to  The 
Congregationalist : 

They  greatly  err  who  are  disposed — from  the  well-known  facts  of  Lector  Walden- 
strom's prominent  connection  with  this  wide  popular  movement,  and  of  his  holding 
views  of  the  atonement  sounding  somewhat  as  Dr.  Bushnell's  used  to  sound— to  con- 
clude that  this  separation  pivots  upon  that,  or  upon  any  like  question  in  theology. 
.  .  .  What  they  are  after  is  a  warmer,  a  more  genuine,  life-controlling,  soul-com- 
forting Christian  experience  than  they  have  been  able  to  reach  through  the  frigid  and 
.tiresome  formalities  of  the  national  church  ;  and  they  have  gone  not  to  "  Waldenstrom 
on  the  Atonement,"  but  to  the  Bible  to  get  it. 

Respecting  the  second  coming  of  Christ,  the  premillenarian  view  is  held 
by  Dr.  Waldenstrom,  and  probably  by  the  larger  part  of  these  Swedish 
'Christians. 

In  general,  they  hold  to  "  the  great  doctrines  of  the  Christian  faith, 
commonly  called  evangelical,"  and  in  church  polity  and  methods  are  like 
Congregational  churches. 

FREE  CHURCH,  OR  BAPTIST  ? 

In  a  recent  issue  of  the  Baptist  Examiner,  of  New  York,  a  letter  from 
Sweden  appears,  written  by  Rev.  T.  Trove,  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church  in 
Gotenburg,  in  which  he  says  : 

Sweden  has  lately  had  a  visit  from  a  Congregational  minister  by  the  name  of  Mont- 
gomery. .  .  .  He  considers  that  the  large  number,  perhaps  seventy-five  thousand,  of 
Free  church  people  are  of  the  same  faith  as  his  denomination,  and  he  will  probably,  on 
his  return  to  America,  tell  his  friends  about  this.  He  has  written  several  letters  to  a 
Swedish  paper  about  the  history  and  belief  of  the  Congregationalists,  and  among  other 
things  said  that  they  have  three  baptisms :    pouring,  sprinkling,  and  immersion,  and 


IN   SWEDEN   AND   NOBWAT.  35 

you  may  choose  between  these.  I  am  afraid  that  when  he  considers  these  Free  church 
people  members  of  his  denomination,  he  has  counted  his  chickens  before  they  are 
hatched.  One  of  their  most  prominent  leaders,  who  has  strongly  defended  infant 
baptism,  writes  now  that  there  is  no  foundation  for  it  in  the  Bible,  but  says  that  a 
person  ought  to  be  baptized  when  he  becomes  converted  to  Christ. 

I  mentioned  several  times  while  in  America  that  thousands  of  these  Free  church 
people  commence  to  see  the  truth  with  regard  to  believers'  baptism,  and  in  this  I  was 
right.  I  heard  a  few  days  ago  that  they  have  baptized  more  than  three  thousand 
members  during  the  last  year.  What  will  become  of  these  ?  The  answer  is:  tbty 
will  very  soon  be  members  of  Baptist  churches. 

As  to  whether  these  Swedish  Free  churches  are  like  Congregational 
churches,  I  will  only  say,  in  reply  to  the  above,  that  when  I  reached  Stock- 
holm and  called  upon  Rev.  Dr.  Broady,  President  of  the  Baptist  Theologi- 
cal Seminary  there,  and  for  some  years  a  resident  of  the  United  States,  his 
first  question  was :  "  Have  you  come  to  visit  your  Congregational  brethren 
in  Sweden  ?  "  I  replied  :  "  Certainly,  if  there  are  any  here."  "  There  are 
very  many,"  was  his  answer. 

As  to  Mr.  Truve's  statement  that  "  all  these  will  soon  be  members  of 
Baptist  churches;"  and  as  to  the  Christian  spirit  shown  in  the  "close- 
communion  "  of  Baptists ;  and  as  to  the  world-wide  difference  between 
believing  that  immersion  is  a  proper  baptism  and  the  belief  that,  there- 
fore, all 'Christians  who  have  not  been  immersed  should  be  disfellowshiped 
and  not  admitted  to  the  table  of  our  common  Lord — on  all  these  points  I 
readily  turn  Mi*.  Truve  over  to  his  own  countrymen,  President  Ekman, 
Professor  Fernholm,  Dr.  Waldenstrom,  and  many  others,  who  are  both 
abundantly  able  and  willing  to  set  him  right,  "  according  to  the  Scrip- 
tures." 

CLOSE   COMMUNION. 

There  was  a  little  boy  whose  mother  would  wash  his  face  and  hands 
more  often  and  more  vigorously  than  he  enjoyed.  During  one  of  these 
operations  he  impatiently  said  :  "I  don't  like  you."  The  mother  replied  : 
"  I  shall  be  gone  some  day,  and  then  you  won't  be  bothered  by  your 
mother  any  more."  The  little  fellow  penitently  responded  :  "  Well,  I  like 
you  well  enough,  if  you  would  only  let  up  on  this  ivashing."  So  all  Chris- 
tendom thinks  with  reference  to  the  close  communion  views  of  the  Baptists. 
If  they  would  only  "  let  up  "  on  the  disfellowshiping  of  unimmersed  Chris- 
tians, we  should  all  "  like  them  well  enough."  In  that  case  the  Congrega- 
tionalists  and  various  branches  of  Baptists  in  the  United  States,  England, 
and  other  lands,  and  also  the  Baptists  and  Free  churches  of  Sweden, 
might,  under  some  acceptable  name,  heartily  co-work  under  the  banner  of 
the  Cross,  "thus  endeavoring  to  keep  the  unity  of  the  Spirit  in  the  bond  of 
peace."  There  should  be  a  "  let  up  "  in  the  sad  divisions  of  Christ's  church 
on  the  earth,  on  the  narrow  ground  that  only  those  Christians  who  have 
received  baptism  by  a  certain  form  should  be  permitted  to  celebrate  the 
death  of  our  Lord  around  his  table.  The  Free  Mission  churches  of  Sweden 
enjoy  their  Christian  freedom  too  much  to  accept  "  these  bonds." 


36  A    WIND    FROM   THE   HOLY    SPIRIT 


THE   WORK  IN   NORWAY. 

In  Norway  the  situation  is  much  the  same  as  in  Sweden,  except  that 
this  Free  Mission  church  movement  began  only  three  years  ago,  and  does 
not  enjoy  the  wise  leadership  of  great  men  among  their  own  countrymen, 
as  the  movement  in  Sweden  does.  The  Methodists  of  the  United  States 
have  been  sending  into  Norway  missionaries  and  large  sums  of  money  to 
aid  in  preaching  the  gospel  and  in  building  churches,  for  the  past  twenty- 
six  years.  The  success  of  their  work,  however,  as  compared  with  this  Free 
Mission  movement,  has  there  been  small,  as  it  has  also  in  Sweden.  The 
Methodists  now  have  about  37  churches  in  Norway,  and  the  Baptists  7, 
while  the  Mission  churches,  beginning  less  than  three  years  ago,  already 
iiave  12  churches,  with  a  membership  of  1,500.  The  Scandinavian  love  for 
independence  and  liberty  does  not  readily  receive  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  government  The  "bishops"  and  "appointed"  pastors  remind 
them  of  the  Lutheran  State  church,  from  which  they  are  emerging.  The 
Mission  movement  in  Norway  is  in  very  great  need  of  wise  leadership,  of 
many  more  trained  ministers,  and  of  funds  for  church  building,  and  money 
with  which  to  begin  a  theological  school.  Our  Congregational  churches 
in  the  United  States  ought  to  supply  this  need.  Swedish  Christians  are 
helping,  what  they  can,  but  the  work  in  Norway  will  richly  reward  im- 
mediate and  liberal  aid.  At  the  Home  Missionary  anniversary  in  Saratoga, 
in  June  last,  a  spontaneous  collection  was  taken  up  for  this  cause,  and 
$306  were  received  by  Kev.  Dr.  Clapp  and  forwarded  to  the  Swedish 
Mission  Union,  to  be  sent  to  Kristiania,  Norway,  to  help  build  the  new 
Mission  house  there.  The  following  response  has  been  received  from  Mr. 
M.  Hanson,  the  lay  "  leader  "  in  the  church  in  Kristiania,  which  has  about 
four  hundred  members,  none  of  whom  are  wealthy,  and  nearly  all  are  quite 

poor: 

Kristiania,  Norway,  August  19,  1884. 

Dear  Brother  in  Christ  :  Peace  through  our  Lord  Jesus.  Through  Rev.  E.  J. 
Ekman,  of  Kristinehamn,  Sweden,  I  have  received  from  the  American  Home  Mission- 
ary friends  gathered  at  Saratoga  1,141.07  kronors  (£62  19,s.  2f?.),  for  which  I  enclose  the 
receipt  of  the  Mission  Union.  Our  brethren  here  join  me  in  greeting  and  thanking 
you  and  your  friends  who  are  the  givers  of  this  great  donation.  God  will  reward  you. 
.  .  .  The  brethren  and  sisters  here  give  their  love  to  you  and  your  friends  there, 
and  they  trust  that  you  do  not  forget  your  poor  friends  in  Norway.  My  wife  unites  with 
me  in  greeting  you.  I  remain,  yours  in  Christ, 

M.  Hanson. 

At  the  Saratoga  meeting  of  the  American  Home  Missionary  Society 
resolutions  were  adopted  of  fraternal  greeting  to  the  Swedish  Mission 
churches,  but  I  have  no  copy  at  hand.  To  those  salutations  the  following 
reply  has  been  received  : 

To  the  American  Congregational  Churches : 

The  delegates  to  the  Swedish  Mission  Union,  who  met  this  day  in  Stockholm  for 
conference,  send  the  heartiest  salutations  to  the  American  Congregational  churches,  in 


IN   SWEDEN    AND   NORWAY.  37 

which  several  of  us  have  become  specially  interested  in  consequence  of  the  visit  in  our 
land  of  the  dear  brother,  Rev.  M.  W.  Montgomery. 

Wishing  you  "  Grace,  mercy,  and  peace,  from  God  our  Father  and  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,"  we  ask  to  be  embraced  in  your  brotherly  love  and  your  prayers. 

Our  conference  has  been  richly  blessed  by  God,  and  we  wish  that  your  meetings 
may  in  like  measure  be  blessed  by  him,  so  that  all  your  undertakings  may  redound  to 
the  glory  of  God  and  his  work  on  the  earth.  If  we  endure,  we  shall  also  reign  with 
him.  Therefore,  my  beloved  brethren,  be  ye  steadfast,  immovable,  always  abounding 
in  the  work  of  the  Lord,  forasmuch  as  we  know  that  your  labor  is  not  in  vain  in  the 

Lord. 

In  behalf  of  the  Swedish  Mission  Union,  Stockholm,  June  18,  1884. 

P.  Ollen,  E.  J.  Ekman, 

Secretary.  President. 

The  foregoing  pages  have  summarized  the  present  religious  situation 
in  Sweden  and  .Norway,  and  given,  it  is  hoped,  an  intelligent  idea  of  the 
agitations  and  revivals  which  have  developed  into  this  great  Free  church 
movement ;  an  awakening  which  is  very  remarkable  in  some  of  its  feat- 
ures, and  which,  in  some  respects,  will  rank  among  the  wonderful  religious 
movements  among  men  since  repentance  and  remission  of  sins  have  been. 
"  preached  in  his  name  among  all  nations,  beginning  at  Jerusalem." 

INTERESTING  LETTERS. 
That  the  readers  of  these  pages  may  get  their  information  on  the  ques- 
tions here  under  consideration  from  original  sources,  so  far  as  may  be,  I 
will  now  lay  before  them  translations  of  valuable  Swedish  documents,  and' 
of  several  letters  from  prominent  leaders  in  this  movement,  specially  pre- 
pared with  great  kindness  for  this  purpose,  at  my  request.  The  letters 
are  from  living  workers  in  this  revival,  intimately  acquainted  with  all  its 
phases,  and  identified  with  it,  some  of  them  from  its  first  inception.  It 
will  be  observed  that  the  letters  sketch  the  work  from  the  different  stand- 
points of  different  men  residing  in  various  parts  of  Sweden,  and  thus  an 
impression  is  received  resulting  from  these  converging  views. 

Letter  from  a  University  Student. 
The  first  letter  is  an  historical  sketch  by  Mr.  John  Olsson,  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Upsala,  who  has  been  previously  mentioned,  and  who  was  desig- 
nated by  Dr.  Waldenstrom  as  one  capable  of  preparing  a  correct  statement : 

Population  of  Sweden about  4,600,000 

Population  of  Norway about  1,807,000 

Population  of  Denmark about  1,969,000 

Population  of  Finland about  2,028,000 

Population  of  the  city  of  Stockholm 190,000 

Population  of  the  city  of  Gctenburg 80,000 

Population  of  the  city  of  Kristiania 120,000 

Population  of  the  city  of  Copenhagen 270,000 

Total  population  of  Scandinavian  countries. 10,404,000 

[The  report  of  the  Commissioners  of  Education  for  1881  gives  the  following  figures : 
Sweden,  4,578,901  ;  Norway,  1,916,000  in  1879  ;  Denmark,  1,969,039  in  1880.— Tr.] 


38  A   WIND   FROM   THE   HOLY   SPIRIT 

The  Reformation  [i.e.,  the  Protestant  Lutheran  doctrines]  was  introduced  into 
Sweden  by  Gustavus  Vasa  in  the  year  1527.  In  1593  the  State  church  council,  held  at 
TJpsala,  adopted  the  Augsburg  Confession  [C'onfessio  Auguatanct]  as  the  confession  of 
faith  of  the  Swedish  State  church.  Thus  the  Lutheran  doctrines  were  adopted  as  the 
State  religion  in  Sweden.  Believers  in  other  creeds  had  no  religious  liberty  here. 
Those  who  countenanced  Calvinistic  or  Roman  Catholic  views  were  banished,  or  pun- 
ished in  some  other  manner.  Gustavus  Adolphus,  for  instance,  had  three  persons  exe- 
cuted because  they  were  Roman  Catholics.  Even  under  later  Swedish  kings  many 
persons  were  punished  on  account  of  their  religious  belief. 

Meanwhile  there  began  to  be  felt,  even  in  our  country,  religious  revivals  similar 
to  those  which  took  place  in  England  during  the  seventeenth  and  the  eighteenth  cen- 
turies. Particularly  from  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century  did  these  revivals 
gain  headway,  and  were  called  "pietism."  The  pietistic  movement  originated  from  a 
German  priest  named  Spener.  Among  the  leaders  of  pietism  may  be  mentioned  the 
priests  Tollstadius  and  Ruthstrorn  [died  1772J. 

In  1726  there  was  issued  against  the  pietists  the  so-called  konventikel  plakaM,  a  re- 
ligious law  that  enacted  severe  punishments,  fines,  and  imprisonment  for  those  who 
preached  the  gospel  without  being  priests  in  the  State  church  [i.e.,  ordained  by  and 
employed  by  the  State  church].  This  law  was  not  changed  until  1858  ;  and  even  yet 
there  may  be  found  a  law  that  imposes  fines  and  imprisonment  upon  any  layman 
that  preaches  anything  which  is  regarded  as  containing  erring  doctrine.  It  is,  however, 
hoped  that  this  law  will  soon  be  abolished.  Religious  liberty  had  not  been  granted  to 
confessors  of  different  creeds  until  1781.  Then  for  the  first  time  were  they  given  the 
right  to  hold  divine  service  ;  at  such  service,  however,  no  one  was  permitted  to  be 
present  who  was  of  another  confession.  This  last  edict  was  abolished  1855.  In  1860 
punishment  for  the  Lutheran  who  should  apostatize  to  another  confession  was  abol- 
ished. In  1873  there  was  passed  the  so-called  "dissenter  law,"  by  which  not  only 
confessors  of  different  [strange]  creeds  have  the  right  to  the  free  exercise  of  religious 
belief,  but  also  persons  who  belong  to  the  Swedish  State  church  can,  under  certain 
conditions,  withdraw  from  the  same  and  establish  separate  churches  [congregations]. 
To  secede,  the  applicant  must,  first,  specify  an  already  existing  Christian  denomination 
which  he  would  join  ;  second,  apply  to  the  priest  within  the  parish  for  dismission.  If 
one  is  not  able  to  specify  any  denomination  with  which  he  would  unite,  or  if  the 
confession  of  that  sect  is  not  a  Christian  one,  dismission  will  be  refused.  Conse- 
quently an  atheist  or  heathen  is  compelled  to  publicly  profess  himself  a  Lutheran,  pro- 
vided that  he  will  not  lie.  In  the  same  manner,  for  instance,  a  Quaker  is  compelled  to 
remain  in  the  State  church,  because  no  Quaker  denomination  exists  in  Sweden. 

Any  one  seceding  forfeits  several  rights  that  he  has  while  he  remains  in  the  State 
church  ;  for  instance,  the  right  to  conduct  religious  schools  [Sunday-schools]  for  other 
children  than  those  of  his  own  denomination,  without  special  permission ;  the  right  to 
be  elected  member  of  church  council  and  school  board,  etc.  Besides,  there  are  im- 
posed on  a  legally  seceded  denomination  certain  duties,  which  can  be  very  oppressive. 

The  situation  with  regard  to  religious  liberty  in  our  country  is  accordingly  as 
follows : 

Confessors  of  non-Lutheran  creeds  who  have  legally  separated  from  the  State 
church  have  the  liberty  to  preach,  baptize,  administer  communion,  ordain  priests,  and 
so  forth,  yet  under  certain  conditions.  They  forfeit  by  their  secession  from  the  State 
church  several  important  civil  rights,  and  have  certain  duties  imposed  on  themselves. 
They  must,  in  spite  of  their  secession,  continue  to  pay  taxes  to  the  State  church  and 
support  its  priests  and  churches,  but  they  forfeit  the  right  to  partake  in  the  adminis- 
tration of  those  public  matters  which  they,  with  their  taxes,  support. 

"  Lutheran  Christians  "  [i.e.,  dissenters  who  have  not  seceded  from  the  State  church] 
have  also  the  right  to  hold  private  meetings  without  the  guidance  of  a  priest ;  they 


IN   SWEDEN   AND   NORWAY.  30 

have  the  right  to  preach,  baptize,  administer  the  communion,  etc.  These  rights  am 
not  expressly  adjudged  to  them,  but  the  Government  does  nothing  to  stop  them,  ii  even 
sometimes  priests  and  the  domkapitlet  try  to  oppose  them.  They  [the  Christians] 
are  free  to  keep  Sunday-school,  but  if  they  preach  something  which  the  church 
authorities  consider  erroneous,  then  the  preacher  may  be  fined  or  put  in  prison.  This 
has  frequently  happened. 

Our  religious  liberty  is  consequently  far  from  perfect,  but  it  is  widening  more  and 
more. 

The  Present  Movement. 

The  present  religious  movement  in  Sweden  may  be  said  to  have  had  its  starting- 
point  in  Norrland  and  to  date  from  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century.  The 
first  adherents  of  this  movement  were  scornfully  called  lasare  [i.e.,  "  readers  "  ]  because 
they  came  together  and  read  Luther's  writings.  From  Norrland  the  so-called  "  read- 
ing circles  "  spread  to  other  parts  of  the  country,  in  spite  of  persistent  persecutions 
and  oppositions  by  the  hostile-minded  priesthood.  Yet  several  believing  priests  were 
foand,  particularly  in  Smaland  and  Norrland,  who  supported  and  furthered  the  spiritual 
life  that  had  just  been  awakened. 

After  that,  Rosenius  alone  published  the  Pietisten  until  his  death,  when  Dr.  P. 
Waldenstrom,  in  accordance  with  the  wish  of  the  deceased  Rosenius,  took  charge  of 
and  yet  edits  it.  The  Pietisten  had  during  the  first  year  about  five  hundred  sub- 
scribers ;  at  present  the  number  probably  exceeds  ten  thousand.  It  may  be  consid- 
ered an  organ  of  the  more  free  religious  movement  of  which  Waldenstrom  stands  at 
the  head. 

Rosenius  soon  found  that  a  union  of  the  Christian  forces  within  our  country  was 
necessary.  With  his  co-operation  there  was  therefore  established,  in  1856,  the  so-called 
Ecangeliska  Fosterlands-stiftelsen  [Evangelical  National  Institution].  Among  the  found- 
ers of  this  society  may  be  mentioned  lektor  [i.e.,  vice-professor]  P.M.  Elmblad,  who 
afterward,  together  with  two  other  persons,  published  a  widely  read  translation  of  the 
New  Testament.  Since  then  Rev.  G.  E.  Beskow  [minister  of  the  Blasieholm's  Lutheran 
church  in  Stockholm,  which  was  erected  through  voluntary  contributions  and  holds 
five  thousand  persons]  has  also  been  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Fosterlands-stiftelsen. 

The  Fosterlands-stiftelsen  has  operated  partly  by  circulating  Christian  publica- 
tions, partly  by  sending  out  competent  lay-preachers.  For  these  a  college  was  found- 
ed at  Johannelund,  adjacent  to  Stockholm.  In  1860  the  Stiftelsen  extended  their 
work  so  as  to  include  also  foreign  missions.  Missionaries  have  been  sent  to  Africa, 
India,  and  to  other  countries.  The  Fosterlands-stiftelsen  did  not  depart  from  the 
State  church  in  doctrine.  It  held  fast  to  the  Augsburg  Confession  as  the  rule  for  its 
members  and  preachers.  Yet  it  was  evident  that  the  Stiftelsen  must  come  into  op- 
position to  the  State  church  on  church  matters,  since  it  sent  preachers  all  over  the 
country,  who,  quite  naturally,  could  not  be  welcome  to  the  priests  of  the  church. 
Later,  however,  the  Stiftelsen  has  more  and  more  approached  the  church,  accordiug 
as  the  new  religious  movement  has  developed  and  outgrown  the  Stiftelsen,  and  has  also 
taken  a  freer  course  than  the  Stiftelsen  could  approve.  At  present  the  Stiftelsen  can 
for  the  most  part  be  said  to  agree  in  general  with  the  more  liberal-minded  leading  men 
of  the  State  church.  An  organ  of  the  tendency  represented  by  the  Stiftelsen  is  pub- 
lished, called  Wdktaren  [TlieWatcliman],  a  Christian,  political  weekly  paper,  published 
in  Stockholm,  which  circulates  five  thousand  copies.  On  the  other  hand,  the  weekly 
paper  llemlandsrannen  [The  Homeland's  Friend]  represents  the  freer  religious  ten- 
dency. It  has  a  circulation  of  eleven  thousand  copies.  In  ecclesiastical  questions 
this  paper  has  advanced  into  sharp  opposition  to  the  State  church. 

The  Stiftelsen  was  a  bond  of  union  between  the  many  different  mission  societies 
in  the  country.     That  is  to  say,  the  Christians  in  the  different  parts  of  our  country 


40  A   WIND   FROM   THE   HOLY   SPIRIT 

joined  themselves  together  into  mission  societies,  whose  object  was  to  further  home 
and  foreign  missions.  Almost  all  of  these  united  with  the  Stiftelsen  and  sent  in  all 
their  contributions  for  the  mission  cause  to  the  Stiftelsen,  but  were  for  the  rest  toler- 
ably independent.  The  annual  meeting  of  the  Stiftelsen— to  which  all  the  mission 
societies  who  have  joined  it  have  a  right  to  send  delegates— takes  place  every  year  in 
the  first  part  of  June,  in  Stockholm. 

Not  long  after  the  death  of  Rosenius,  however,  a  crisis  arose  within  the  Stiftelsen. 
The  signal  for  this  was  given  through  a  sermon  by  Waldenstrom  in  the  Pietisten  in 
1872.'  Waldenstrom  maintains  in  this  sermon  that  the  object  of  Christ's  work  was  not 
to  reconcile  or  appease  God,  but  to  save  and  justify  men.  God  did  not  need  to  be 
reconciled,  because  he  loved  man  before,  which  was  just  the  reason  that  he  sent  Christ 
to  reconcile  man.  Man  needed  to  be  reconciled,  for  he  was  an  enemy  to  God.  Against 
this  doctrine  several  of  the  leaders  of  the  Stiftelsen  arose  sharply,  and  eagerly  de- 
fended the  doctrine  of  the  reconciliation  of  God.  Among  the  opponents  of  Walden- 
strom may  be  mentioned  G.  E.  Beskow,  Welinder,  Ahnfelt,  and  the  bishops  Landgren 
and  Beckman.  In  1873  Waldenstrom  issued  a  little  pamphlet  about  "The  Meaning  of 
Reconciliation,"  which  called  forth  many  replies.  The  controversy  spread  to  all  parts 
of  our  country  and  caused  an  eager  searching  of  God's  Word. 

The  question  that  Waldenstrom  placed  at  the  head  of  the  whole  movement  was  this  : 
"  Where  is  it  written?  "  He  claimed  that  the  Holy  Scriptures  should  be  the  only  rule 
for  doctrine  and  life,  to  the  rejection  of  all  rules  and  confessions  set  up  by  men.  He 
defended  energetically  the  right  and  duty  of  every  man  to  see  for  himself  how  it  is 
written  in  God's  Word,  and  then  himself  to  form  his  own  convictions.  Thus  it  was 
the  same  claim  that  Luther  in  his  time  set  up,  but  which  has  since,  even  by  those  who 
call  themselves  by  his  name,  become  so  botched. 

Soon  the  discussion  turned  into  other  channels.  In  the  middle  of  the  decade  1871- 
80,  Waldenstrom  published  a  treatise  on  the  question  of  forgiveness  of  sins,  and  held 
forth  that  the  reconciliation  of  man  and  the  taking  away  of  sin  was  not  done  once  for 
all  when  Christ  died  ;  that  consequently  the  sins  of  the  world  are  not  taken  away, 
but  that  on  the  contrary  man  is  reconciled,  and  the  siu  is  taken  away  when  he  is  con- 
verted ;  and  that  the  unconverted  world  yet  remains  in  its  sins.  This  doctrine  also 
was  contested  by  many,  particularly  among  the  leaders  of  the  Stiftelsen.  A  literature 
sprang  up  that  treated  on  the  questions  under  controversy.  Waldenstrom  developed 
a  lively  activity  in  authorship.  Among  his  writings  may  be  mentioned  particularly 
"  Ilerren  ar  from"  ["  The  Lord  is  upright ;  "  see  Psalm  xxv.,  8]  an  exposition  of  the 
twenty-fifth  Psalm  (also  translated  into  German),  which  has  reached  a  circulation  of 
over  forty  thousand  copies.  The  Stiftelsen  also  issued  several  publications  which  de- 
fended the  so-called  old  doctrine.  Several  priests  in  the  Lutheran  church  sided  with 
Waldenstrom,  among  whom  was  Rev.  E.  J.  Ekman,  who  soon  resigned  the  office  of 
State  church  priest. 

During  all  this  time  the  religious  movement  progressed  with  gigantic  strides  [lit., 
"storm-steps"]  and  many  were  converted.  About  the  middle  of  the  decade  closing 
with  1M70,  the  so-called  communion  question  began  to  blaze  up  (lit.,  "be  burning"). 
The  Christians,  especially  those  who  belonged  to  the  freer  tendency,  and  who  were  com- 
monly called  "Separatists,"  felt  compunctions  of  conscience  about  going  to  the  Lord's 
Supper  together  with  the  ungodly  of  all  kinds.  They  requested  accordingly  to  be  per- 
mitted to  gather  privately  in  the  churches  under  the  guidance  of  believing  priests. 
This  happened,  for  instance,  in  Upsala,  in  1876.  Then,  as  well  as  on  other  occasions, 
they  were  refused.  Then  they  began  to  gather  in  private  houses,  and  without  the  guid- 
ance of  priests.  On  the  above-mentioned  occasion  in  Upsala,  when  the  domkyrkan 
[cathedral]  authorities  had  refused  Professor  Waldenstrom's  request  for  the  use  of  the 


Second  Part.     Sermon  on  the  twentieth  Sunday  after  Trinity  Sunday. 


IN   SWEDEN  AND   NORWAY.  41 

church,  the  believers  gathered  in  the  chapel  [lit.,  "prayer-house"],  where  Professor 
Waldenstrom,  who  was  yet  priest,  administered  the  Lord  s  Supper.  For  this  he  was 
reprimanded  by  the  domkapitlel  [chapter],  with  a  warning.  This  example  was 
nevertheless  followed  by  the  Christians  in  all  quarters,  and  soon  they  began  also  to 
baptize  their  own  children.  To  avoid  even  the  semblance  of  illegality,  the  so-called 
"  Communion  Petition  "  was  drawn  up  and  presented  in  1870  to  his  Royal  Majesty, 
signed  by  twenty-two  thousand  persons,  in  which  they  requested  the  abolishing  of  such 
laws  as  hindered  the  Christians  from  administering  the  sacraments  privately  [i.e.,  where 
only  Christians  gathered  in  other  than  State  church  houses  of  worship]. 

The  private  celebrating  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  however,  induced  the  Foster- 
lands  stiftelsen  to  take  measures  against  such  mission  societies  as  in  this  respect  separ- 
ated from  the  State  church.  For  instance,  the  Stiftelsen  would  not  co-operate  with 
such  societies  or  persons.  Waldenstrom  was  expelled  from  the  Stiftelsen.  The  Stiftel- 
sen also  refused  to  send  to  the  heathen  those  missionaries  who  could  not  take  an  oath 
on  the  Confessio  Augustana  [i.e.,  that  they  believed  in  the  Augsburg  Confession].  All 
ministers  in  the  service  of  the  Stiftelsen  who  were  not  faithful  to  this  confession  were 
discharged. 

All  this  induced  a  meeting  of  ministers  assembled  in  Stockholm,  1877,  to  appoint  a 
committee  to  endeavor  to  arrive  at  an  agreement  with  the  Stiftelsen.  This  commit- 
tee consisted  of  Dr.  Waldenstrom,  Rev.  E.  J.  Ekman,  Rector  Axel  Falk,  Dr.  Erik 
Nystrom,  Dr.  Axel  Beskow,  Swen  Johnson,  and  C.  J.  Nyvall.  This  committee  re- 
quested that  the  Stiftelsen  change  its  rules  so  as  not  to  exclude  from  its  missionaries 
those  who  could  not  in  every  respect  swear  to  the  Augsburg  Confession.  The  Stiftel- 
sen answered  that  it  neither  could  nor  would  change  its  regulations,  and  so  denied  the 
request  of  the  committee.  The  consequence  was  that  in  a  meeting  of  liberal-minded 
Christians,  held  in  1878,  it  was  resolved  to  organize  the  Svenska  Missions-forbundct 
["The  Swedish  Mission  Union  "].  By  degrees  several  mission  societies,  both  old  and 
recently  organized,  joined  this,  with  the  object  of  working  in  common  for  the  cause  of 
missions.  No  confessions  and  rules  common  to  all  these  different  societies  are  to  be 
met  with  ;  neither  any  creed  for  the  Mission  Union.  But  this  society  operates  only 
on  the  ground  of  the  Bible  to  further  home  and  foreign  missions. 

Since  the  Mission  Union  was  organized  the  religious  movement  has  spread  evermore. 
New  questions  arose  and  were  discussed,  partly  by  the  press,  partly  at  the  annual 
religious  meetings.  In  the  paper  Ilemlandscannen  [The  Homeland's  Friend]  for  March 
16,  1882,  under  the  heading,  "  Could  we  Ever  Imagine  ?"  an  article  appeared  by  Dr. 
Waldenstrom.  This  notable  article,  which  in  the  form  of  questions  scourges  the  un- 
christian procedure  within  the  State  church,  gave  rise  to  a  lengthy  discussion  in  the 
Hemlandsmnneii,  the  result  of  which  was  that  Waldenstrom,  May  1,  1882,  asked  to  be 
dismissed  from  the  ministry  in  the  State  church,  yet  he  continues  to  remain  as  pro- 
fessor of  theology  at  the  Gefle  College. 

These  are,  in  greatest  brevity,  the  outline  features  of  the  development  of  the  religious 
movement  in  Sweden  up  to  the  present  time. 

The  Baptist  views  were  introduced  into  Sweden  about  1850,  as  the  founder  may  be 
considered  Anders  Wiberg,  who  resigned  the  Lutheran  priesthood  in  1852.  During 
the  decade  ending  1870,  Baptist  churches  were  organized  in  Stockholm  and  in  several 
places  in  Dalecarlia  [Dalarna],  which  were  severely  persecuted.  A  great  number  of 
persons  were  punished  by  fines  and  imprisonments  for  "breach  of  the  Sabbath,"  for 
"  mockery  of  the  sacraments,"  etc.,  because  they  had  received  the  communion  on  Sun- 
day. In  Stockholm  the  Baptists  have  a  "Bethel  seminary,"  founded  in  1866,  which  is 
conducted  by  an  American,  Colonel  Broady.  In  Norway  the  Baptists 'were  introduced 
in  1858  by  Swedes.  The  Baptists  in  Sweden  constitute  at  present  25,277  persons,  divided 
into  371  churches,  with  402  ministers.     During  1883,  3,623  persons  were  baptized. 

The  Baptist  denomination  have  in  their  Sunday-schools  23,000  children  and  2,173 


42  A    WIND   FROM   THE  HOLY    SPIRIT 

teachers.  Contributions  to  benevolent  purposes  amounted  in  1883  to  229,000  kronora 
[about  $6 1,830]. 

In  Norway  the  Baptists  are  found  to  the  number  of  about  1,000  persons. 

Methodism  was  introduced  into  Sweden  about  1809.  At  present  there  are  about 
7,600  Methodists  in  Sweden,  according  to  the  latest  statistics,  which  in  full  union  be- 
long to  the  denomination;  besides,  there  are  3,000  who  are  under  probation.  The  de- 
nomination owns  57  churches,  13!)  Sunday-schools  with  621  teachers  and  7,800  chil- 
dren.    During  1883,  11,652  kronora  [about  $3,146]  were  collected  for  the  mission  cause. 

The  foregoing  sketch  was  shown  to  a  prominent  gentleman  in  the 
Free  church  movement,  with  the  request  that  he  would  add  such  facts  as 
would  help  to  complete  the  statement,  and  he  wrote  as  follows : 

Letter  from  a  Swedish  Minister. 

During  the  first  half  of  this  century,  the  believers  in  Sweden  were  in  general  very 
loyal  to  the  State  church.  Therefore  it  delighted  them  greatly  if  they  sometimes 
received  the  approbation  of  a  priest  of  the  State  church.  This  delight  was  not,  how- 
ever, often  experienced  by  them.  They  considered  it  a  conscientious  duty  to  use  the 
sacraments  of  the  State  church,  and  usually  entertained  a  greater  fear  of  separation 
from  that  church  than  of  open  sin.  Generally,  they  also  believed  that  they  ought  to 
go  to  the  church  and  hear  the  sermon,  notwithstanding  that  the  priest  was  ungodly  ; 
although  they  joyfully  preferred,  of  course,  to  hear  a  believing  priest.  The  corruption 
of  the  State  church  was,  to  their  consciousness,  far  from  manifest,  although  they  could 
not  avoid  noticing,  at  least  to  some  extent,  that  all  was  not  as  it  should  be.  They 
continually  hoped,  however,  for  a  reform  of  the  State  church,  and  for  this  they  prayed 
to  God  with  much  perseverance. 

The  priests  of  the  State  church  took  care,  however,  that  the  believers  should  be 
better  enlightened.  If  the  priests  had,  at  this  time,  taken  a  somewhat  friendly  posi- 
tion toward  the  Christians,  they  could  easily,  in  spite  of  their  godless  lives,  have  gotten 
the  whole  movement  into  their  power  and  suppressed  it  in  its  beginning. 

They  were  not  wise  enough  to  act  thus.  God  permitted  them  to  become  blinded. 
When  the  believers  went  to  church,  they  would  often  hear  the  priest  devote  the  greater 
part  of  his  sermon  to  the  new  religious  movement,  which  he  pictured  in  the  most 
deterring  colors.  The  believers  were  railed  at  and  belied  from  the  pulpit ;  and  when 
they  would  not  give  up  their  private  gatherings  for  prayer,  reading  of  the  Word  of 
God,  and  singing,  they  were  cruelly  persecuted.  In  one  city  in  the  middle  of  Sweden 
at  this  time  the  prison  was  so  over-filled  with  Christians,  that  for  want  of  room  great 
numbers  had  to  be  conveyed  in  prison  carts  to  the  jail  of  another  city,  over  one  hun- 
dred English  miles  distant. 

Suffering  with  Joy. 

Many  suffered  at  this  time,  with  joy,  the  pillage  of  their  property,  and  were  treated 
as  the  greatest  criminals,  merely  because  they  had,  together  with  their  brethren,  read 
the  Bible,  conversed  concerning  its  contents,  exhorted  and  edified  one  another,  prayed 
and  sung. 

Such  things  must  in  time  open  the  eyes  of  some,  and  they  found  that  it  could  not 
be  the  church  of  Christ  that  persecuted  the  believers  in  such  manner.  About  1850 
the  Baptists  began  to  spread  in  the  country.  Shortly  afterward  a  Congregational  move- 
ment arose  in  Skane.  Several  free  congregations  were  established  there,  of  which  a 
few  exist  at  this  time.  Not  until  the  beginning  of  the  decade  1870  were  the  priests  so 
successful,  however,  in  terrifying  the  believers  against  the  Baptists  and  "  separatism  " 


IN   SWEDEN   AND   NORWAY.  43 

that  the  majority  of  them  did  not  dare  to  enter  into  any  nearer  intercourse  with  these 
movements. 

Meanwhile,  yet  more  and  more  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  grew,  and  those  saved 
united,  for  their  mutual  edification,  into  smaller  and  larger  societies.  They  did  not  at 
that  time  think  of  any  separation  from  the  State  church,  but  merely  intended  to  co- 
operate for  missions  within  the  church  for  her  salvation  and  for  the  preservation  in 
faith  of  those  who  were  saved.  These  groups  were  not  designated  churches  [forsam- 
lingar  >],  but  were  called  "Mission  Societies." 

Between  1860  and  1870,  small  groups  of  Christians  began,  however,  to  separate 
themselves  from  the  State  church,  and  to  celebrate  the  Lord's  Supper  privately.  To 
begin  with,  they  endeavored  to  obtain  assistance  from  some  "  Free-churchly  minded  " 
priest  within  the  State  church  who  would  be  willing  to  serve  them,  and  for  the  same 
suffer  the  persecution  that  would  befall  him.  In  Nerike  labored  Pastor  Muntzing, 
who  for  several  years  in  such  manner  served  a  number  of  small  Free  churches  which 
had  been  established  within  that  province. 

Professor  A.  Fernholm  soon  began  to  serve  in  the  same  manner  some  free  churches 
in  West-manland,  and  soon  after  the  death  of  Muntzing  (18G9)  he  was  called  to  serve 
such  churches  also  in  Nerike  and  Wermland.  The  number  of  Free  churches  within 
these  three  provinces  in  the  year  1872  aggregated  between  sixty  and  seventy.  At  this  time 
they  began,  principally  at  the  suggestion  of  Fernholm,  to  appoint  some  steady  brother, 
who  was  ordained  by  prayer  and  laying  on  of  hands,  to  be  a  manager  and  to  serve  at 
the  Lord's  Supper.  Simultaneously  a  like  movement  was  going  on  in  different  parts 
of  the  country  ;  but  scarcely  anywhere  did  it  develop  as  fast  as  in  Nerike,  Wermland, 
and  Westmanland. 

Lord's  Supper  Societies. 

For  some  time  these  churches  called  themselves  "  Communion  Societies,"  or  "  Lord's 
Supper  Societies,"  because  their  members  had  originally  united  principally  to  celebrate 
the  Lord's  Supper  together,  when  they  could  no  longer  partake  in  the  communions  of 
the  State  church.  They  were,  perhaps,  poorly  regulated,  yet  the  members  were  heed- 
ful of  each  other,  and  disunited  every  one  from  their  communion  who  did  not  walk 
according  to  the  gospel  of  Christ. 

During  the  whole  of  this  time  nearly  all  the  more  prominent  men  had  kept  them- 
selves at  a  distance  from  "separatism."  They  yet  hoped  for  a  reform  of  the  State 
church,  for  which  reason  they  most  warmly  dissuaded  from  separation.  Such  was 
always  the  case  with  Rev.  C.  O.  Rosenius.  Such  was  also  the  case  with  Rev.  Dr.  P. 
Waldenstrom  until  about  1875.  An  exception  to  this  was  Mr.  Hedengren,  at  Riseberga, 
in  Nerike — proprietor  of  large  iron  works — who,  although  within  a  smaller  territory, 
vigorously  worked  to  promote  the  union  of  believers.  But,  as  a  general  thing,  the 
Free  church  movement  was  neither  called  forth  nor  conducted  by  any  prominent  man  ; 
but  it  was  a  people's  movement.  It  is  not  Dr.  Waldenstrom  who  has  drawn  the 
believers  into  this  movement,  for  he  opposed  at  first  every  step  forward  that  has 
been  taken,  "though  not  with  bitterness,  but  in  a  brotherly  manner.  Up  to  1875  Dr. 
Waldenstr  m  kept  at  a  distance  from  the  communion  societies,  and  when  he  in  1876 
began  to  further  this  movement,  it  had  already  existed  ten  years  and  spread  through  a 
great  part  of  the  country,  while  he  had  long  declared  himself  against  the  same.     It  is 

1  Throughout  this  report  I  have  usually  translated  the  Swedish  word  forsamling, 
"church."  While  forsamling  literally  means  "assembly,"  "congregation,"  yet,  that 
"  church  "  is  the  proper  rendering  in  these  extracts  is  fully  shown  from  the  facts  that 
Oman's  Swedish -English  Dictionary  translates  Ben  Kristna  forsamlingen,  "the  Chris- 
tian church,"  and  that  Rev.  Dr.  Waldenstrom,  in  his  Kingdom  of  God  and  the  Church 
(pp.  58,  59),  shows  repeatedly  that  this  is  the  sense  in  which  he  uses  the  word. 


44  A   WIND   FROM   THE   HOLY   SPIRIT 

consequently  the  Christian  people  who  have  marched  at  the  head  and  drawn  Dr. 
Waldenstrom  and  others  along.  And  so  it  continues  yet.  This  circumstance  is  surely 
worth  our  greatest  attention.  At  the  same  time  it  must  be  acknowledged  that  when 
Dr.  Waldenstrom  allied  himself  to  the  Free  church  movement,  or  to  any  new  develop- 
ment of  the  same,  he  has  by  his  gifted  mind  done  much  to  give  greater  spread  to  this 
movement  and  to  secure  greater  unity  among  the  believers.  As  may  be  seen  from 
what  has  been  said,  Dr.  Waldenstrom  is  very  conservative  in  his  disposition.  The 
hope  which  he  has  entertained  of  a  reformation  of  the  State  church  lias,  perhaps, 
contributed  in  no  small  degree  to  his  conservative  course. 

President  Ekman. 

In  the  years  1875  and  1876  Rev.  E.  J.  Ekman  also  began  to  ally  himself  with  the 
Free  religious  movement.  To  commence  with,  he  attempted  to  introduce  some  Chris- 
tian church  discipline  and  order  within  the  parish  where  he  was  Lutheran  State  church 
priest.  He  would,  for  instance,  not  admit  to  communion  such  confirmed  persons  as 
lacked  all  signs  of  Christian  life.  But  his  attempt  in  this  direction  failed.  Not  only 
his  consistory,  but  also  the  majority  of  the  priests  in  his  diocese— even  the  believing — 
turned  against  him  with  bitterness.  By  this  means  his  eyes  were  opened  yet  more  to 
see  the  deep  corruption  of  the  State  church,  and  he  came  to  see  the  truth,  that  an  un- 
converted world  cannot  be  so  reformed  as  to  be  God's  church. 

During  the  latter  half  of  the  decade  1870-80  Rev.  Mr.  Ekman  appeared  at  the 
mutual  meetings  of  the  Free  churches,  and  otherwise,  and  with  increasing  determina- 
tion, avowed  himself  a  friend  of  Free  churches.  In  1879  he  resigned  his  priesthood 
and  became  principal  of  the  Mission  school  in  Kristinehamn,  and  has  since  with  full 
vigor  worked  for  the  establishing  of  Free  churches.  If  anybody  has  since  that  time 
stood  at  the  head  of  this  movement  in  this  country,  it  is  he. 

During  the  years  1877  up  to  1880  Dr.  Waldenstrom  and  Rev.  Mr.  Ekman  published 
a  periodical  called  The  Witness,  designed  principally  for  educated  readers,  for  which 
reason  it  could  not  secure  any  great  number  of  subscribers  (between  fifteen  hundred  and 
two  thousand) ;  but  it  greatly  advanced  the  Free  church  movement  within  the  country. 
Since  and  embracing  the  year  1880,  Rev.  E.  J.  Ekman  and  Rev.  A.  Fernholm  have 
published  a  smaller  monthly  paper,  Forbundet  [The  Union,  or  The  Alliance],  designed 
for  the  people  in  general.  This  paper  has  had  an  average  of  seven  thousand  sub- 
scribers, and  is  yet  the  only  organ  working  exclusively  for  the  regulation  and  unity  of 
the  Free  churches. 

The  schools  of  the  Free  churches  are:  one  in  Kristinehamn,  founded  by  the 
Wermland  Ansgarii  Society  in  1871  and  transferred  to  the  Swedish  Mission  Union  in 
1879,  and  one  in  Winslof ,  opened  in  1882. 

It  is  previously  mentioned  that  the  believers  who  separated  from  the  State  church 
in  the  celebration  of  the  Lord's  Supper  called  themselves  ' '  Communion  Societies  "  at 
the  outset,  but  that  for  the  rest  they  were  united  in  so-called  "  Mission  Societies."  It 
was  then  very  common  that  the  majority  took  communion  in  the  State  church,  while  a 
small  number  celebrated  the  Lord's  Supper  privately.  In  this  way  the  "  communion 
societies  "  were  generally  found  irithin  the  mission  societies.  In  1880,  however,  the 
name  "  Communion  Society"  ceased  to  be  used,  as  most  of  the  believers  at  each  place 
united  with  the  communion  society,  thus  forming  a  Mutual  Christian  Free  Church, 
which  either  retained  its  old  name,  "  The  Mission  Society  at  such  and  such  a  place," 
or  was  called  "  The  Church  of  Christ  in  such  and  such  a  place,"  or  "  The  Church  of 
the  Brethren  in  such  and  such  a  place,"  or  something  similar.  Simultaneously  a  better 
church  regulation  and  church  care  were  introduced. 


IN   SWEDEN   AND   NORWAY.  45 

Who  Sliall  Baptize  r 

The  believers  in  the  Free  churches  continued  a  long  time  to  allow  the  priests  of  the 
State  church  to  baptize  and  confirm  their  children,  and  a  great  number  still  do  so. 
More  and  more,  however,  they  are  discontinuing  the  practice,  and  either  the  father 
himself  baptizes  his  child  or  he  summons  some  Christian  brother — usually  it  is  a  min- 
ister or  church  elder — to  perform  this  service ;  or  in  case  he  disapproves  of  child - 
baptism,  he  leaves  the  child  unbaptized.  When  an  adult,  by  reason  of  his  convictions, 
wishes  to  be  baptized,  he  has  the  right,  and  he  then  summons  some  brother,  who  per- 
forms the  baptism.  On  the  ground  of  the  widely  differing  views  concerning  baptism, 
the  churches  have  found  that  they  neither  could  nor  ought  to  decree  anything  about  it, 
but  leave  it  with  the  individual  to  act  according  to  his  own  convictions,  and  to  sum- 
mon for  himself  whomsoever  he  chooses  to  serve  in  the  act.  If  the  leader  of  the 
church  serves,  he  does  not  do  it  in  behalf  of  the  church,  but  as  an  individual  person 
"  before  the  Lord's  face." 

Neither  is  it  required  that  the  manager  [this  word  may  also  be  translated  superin- 
tendent, director,  etc.]  shall  positively  minister  at  the  Lord's  Supper.  It  is,  however, 
customary  that  he  or  some  minister  attend  the  breaking  of  the  bread  and  the  invoking 
of  a  blessing  upon  those  gathered  and  upon  their  act. 

To  understand  the  controversy  tbat  has  arisen  here  concerning  reconciliation  and 
salvation,  one  must  know  something  of  the  situation  with  regard  to  these  doctrines 
before  1870. 

Falling  into  Errors. 

During  the  period  between  1850  and  1870,  there  arose  among  the  believers  singularly 
extreme  views  concerning  the  above  points  of  doctrine.  It  was  taught  that  the  be- 
lievers, like  the  unconverted,  could  only  sin.  God  had  been  angry  toward  all  man- 
kind from  the  Fall  and  until  Christ  died  on  Golgotha.  But  then  God  was  reconciled, 
so  that  when  man  believes,  the  grace  of  God  does  not  impute  [lit.,  "reckon  unto  him "] 
his  sins.  Christ  died  in  our  stead,  paid  for  our  sins,  and  fulfilled  the  law  in  our  place. 
It  became  common  to  speak  in  the  most  exaggerated  terms  of  one's  sins,  and  how  one 
constantly  sinned  ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  one  jubilated  over  the  grace  that  covered  [or 
veiled]  everything.  Even  the  sins  of  the  unconverted  were  forgiven,  it  was  said,  but 
they  had  no  benefit  therefrom,  because  they  did  not  believe  on  it  [viz.,  that  their  sins 
were  forgiven]  ;  if  they  persisted  in  their  unbelief,  they  would  eventually  lie  in  liell 
with  forgiven  sins.  Sanctification  was  not  allowed  to  be  preached,  hardly  to  be  men- 
tioned, for  it  was  stamped  as  bondage  under  the  law  [law-thralldom],  Phariseeism,  etc. 
Finally,  it  went  so  far  that  one  was  not  permitted  to  exhort  any  one  to  believe  on 
Christ,  because  these  persons  would  be  led  to  make  faith  a  deed  of  the  law.  Why,  one 
could  neither  believe  nor  live  righteously,  but  only  sin;  the  more  that  sin  abounded, 
the  more  abounded  grace.  Formerly,  the  expression,  "Believe  the  grace,"  or  "Be- 
lieve the  forgiveness  of  sin,"  had  been  used ;  whereas  now  the  preferred  expression 
was,  "  Know  that  you  are  saved  and  be  happy."  Christians,  when  they  saw  a  drunk- 
ard lying  in  the  gutter,  would  say  to  him:  "You  blessed  child  of  God,  think  what 
harm  it  is  that  you  do  not  know  that  you  are  saved  and  have  forgiveness  of  sin  !  "  At 
the  same  time,  the  believers  were  said  to  be  inwardly  and  constantly  cursing  them- 
selves, etc. 

"How  is  it  Written?11    . 

Sincere  Christians,  however,  lived  better  than  they  said  ;  but  they  usually  appeared 
sad  and  depressed,  except  when  they  were  occasionally  cheered  up  by  some  sermon. 
Many,  however,  who  were  not  so  sincere,  were  misled  to  take  the  doctrine  of  constant 
sinning  in  full  earnest,  and  fell  into  the  most  shocking  sins.     The  whole  religious 


40  A   WIND   FROM   THE   HOLY    SPIRIT 

movement  was  on  the  point  of  going  under,  dissolving  into  a  boundless  licentiousness 
with  some,  or  ending  in  despair  with  others.  Yet  some  persons  clearly  saw  the  danger  ; 
and  many  asked,  "  How  is  it  written  in  the  Word  of  God  ?  "  So  also  now  one  here  and 
one  there  would  ask  himself  and  others  the  same  question  touching  these  doctrines. 
Thereupon  many  soon  arrived  at  the  same  conclusion  as  that  afterward  presented  by 
Dr.  P.  Waldenstrom  concerning  reconciliation  and  salvation.  But  no  one  had  pub- 
licly lifted  up  Lis  voice  earlier  than  Waldenstrom.  Through  him,  and  not  less  through 
Rev.  E.  J.  Eknian  (who  soon  placed  himself  by  his  side  and  worked  with  fully  as 
much  vigor  and  success,  both  as  a  speaker  and  a  writer),  it  pleased  God  to  bring  the 
Christians  to  their  senses  and  save  his  cause  from  ruin.  The  religions  corruption 
which  had  begun  to  infest  the  Free  movement  gave  way,  and  a  sound,  sensible  life  in 
the  Lord  took  its  place. 

Concerning  baptism  and  communion,  the  conceptions  of  doctrine  at  present  vary 
greatly  iu  our  churches.  As  regards  baptism,  Dr.  Waldenstrom  holds  fast  principally 
to  the  Lutheran  doctrine.  He  maintains  the  baptism  of  children,  and  thinks  that 
salvation  is  imparted  through  the  same.  On  the  contrary,  a  very  great  number,  which 
is  fast  increasing,  reject  child-baptism  and  adhere  wholly  and  entirely  to  baptistical 
views  on  baptism.  A  third  view,  with  Rev.  E.  J.  Ekman  at  the  head,  is  alsc  working 
itself  forward  with  no  small  number  of  adherents.  This  view  rejects  child-baptism 
and  maintains  that  baptism  should  take  place  at  conversion,  as  a  sign  of  the  surrender 
of  one's  self  to  Christ  ;  and  for  one  who  is  anxious  about  his  sins  it  is  a  help  to  attain 
faith.  Hence  this  last-mentioned  view  does  not  regard  baptism  as  a  saving  but  as  a 
symbolical  act,  which  helps  the  penitent  one  to  take  leave  of  sin  and  the  world  and 
consecrate  himself  to  Christ,  and  so  through  him  be  saved. 

Touching  the  Lord's  Supper,  Dr.  Waldenstrom  teaches  that  the  believer,  in,  by, 
and  while  eating  and  drinking,  receives  the  real  body  and  blood  of  Christ.  Rev.  Mr. 
Ekman,  on  the  contrary,  accepts  the  communion  in  the  Calvinistic  way.  It  is,  how- 
ever, among  the  mass  of  the  Christian  people  that  the  movement  is  primarily  carried  on. 
It  is  a  movement  of  the  people,  effected  and  guided  by  God  ;  '  and  as  long  as  Chris- 
tian love,  in  the  might  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  holds  the  believers  together  in  spite  of  dif- 
ferent opinions,  this  movement  will  have  success  and  be  a  blessing,  as  it  has  been  dur- 
ing the  last  years,  when  over  all  the  land  Christian  revivals  have  spread  forth  into  a 
widening  circuit.     Certainly  nothing  like  it  has  ever  been  seen  here  before. 

Sweden,  May,  1884. 

FREE  CHURCH  CONFESSIONS  OF  FAITH. 
In  1877  these  churches  looked  out  among  them  seven  men  of  honest 
report,  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  wisdom,  whom  they  appointed  over 
this  business  of  preparing  a  confession  of  faith  and  rules  for  church  gov- 
ernment. The  report  of  this  committee  had  no  binding  force  upon  any 
church.  They  received  it  as  suggestions  from  wise  men,  and  then  adopted 
part,  all,  or  none  of  it,  as  each  church  separately  and  independently  chose 
to  do.     This  committee  published  the  following  report  in  1878  : 

Suggestions  concerning  the  Order  of  the  Churches.2 

Art.  I.  The  church  of  Christ  is  spoken  of  in  the  New  Testament  in  a  two-fold 
signification.  Sometimes  this  word  signifies  the  communion  of  saints,  or  the  com- 
munion of  all  who  are  in  Christ ;  sometimes  it  signifies  a  society  of  Christians  in  a  cer- 


1  "  Det  ar  en  folk  rdrelse,  verkad  och  ledd  af  Gud." 

2 Lit.,  Forslag  till  Fursamlings-Ordning ;  that  is,    "Proposal  for  Church-Order. 


IN   SWEDEN   AND   NORWAY.  47 

tain  place.  In  this  latter  signification  this  word  church  is  used  in  the  following  arti- 
cles. "  Upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my  church,"  Mat.  10:  18.  "Christ  loved  the 
church  and  gave  himself  for  it,"  Eph.  5:  25;  also  Eph.  5:  27,  29,  02,  and  1  :  22,  23. 
"Christ  is  the  head  of  the  church,"  Eph.  5:  23;  Col.  1:  18,  24;  1  Tim.  3:  15; 
Heb.  12:  23.  "I  persecuted  the  church  of  God,"  1  Cor.  15:  9;  Gal.  1:  13;  Phil. 
3:  6;  Acts  8:  1.  "The  church  which  was  in  Jerusalem,"  Acts  11:  22.  "The 
church  at  Antioch,"  Acts  13 :  1;  15:  4;  20:  17;  Rom.  10:  1.  "The  church  in  the 
house  of  Priscilla  and  Aquila,"  Rom.  10 :  5  ;  Philemon  2.  "The  church  of  God 
which  is  at  Corinth,"  2  Cor.  1  :  1  ;  Gal.  1 :  2,  12  ;  1  Thess.  1:1;  Rev.  1 :  4  ;  2 :  1,  8, 
12,  18  ;  3  :   1,  7,  14.      "The  churches  of  Christ  salute  you,"  Rom.  10  :   10. 

Art.  II.  A  Christian  local  church  arises  in  this  way  :  the  Christians  unite  together 
for  mutual  edification,  correction,  and  help,  and  also  for  activity  in  extending  the 
kingdom  of  God.  By  this  it  is  not  denied  that  in  such  a  church  may  be  found  hypo- 
crites, who,  since  they  confess  Christ  with  their  mouths,  and  also  outwardly  live  good 
lives,  may  not  always  by  men  be  distinguished  from  the  Christians.  1  Cor.  1:2;  Mat. 
18:  20;  Acts  11  :  20;  14  :  27,  28:  1  Cor.  14:  20;  5:  4;  1  Thess.  5:  11  ;  1  Pet.  2: 
5  ;  Acts  13  :  1-5  ;  3  John  7:8;  Gal.  6:2;  Rom.  12 :  13  ;  Acts  11  :  29,  30  ;  1  Cor. 
15:  58;  John  6 :  70,  71;  15:  2;  Gal.  2:4;  Acts  5 :   1-11. 

Art.  III.  The  church  receives  into  membership  such  as  believe  on  Christ,  and  have 
been  baptized  in  childhood  or  when  older.  "They  that  gladly  received  his  word 
were  baptized ;  and  the  same  day  there  were  added  unto  them  about  three  thousand 
souls.  And  the  Lord  added  to  the  church  daily  such  as  should  be  saved,"  Acts  2  :  41, 
47.      "  When  they  believed,  they  were  baptized,  both  men  and  women,"  Acts  8  :   12  ; 

1  Cor.  12:  13  ;  Acts  16  :  15,  33  ;  18  :  8  ;  1  Cor.  1  :   16  ;  Ps.  8  :  3  ;  Mark  10:  14,  15. 

Art.  IV.  The  church  acknowledges  the  Holy  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New  Testa- 
ments as  the  only  rule  for  the  Christian's  faith  and  doctrine,  and  the  highest  rule  for 
his  conduct.  "Thy  testimonies  are  very  sure,"  Ps.  93:5.  "  Thy  word  is  a  lamp 
unto  my  feet,"  etc.,  Ps.  119  :  105.  "  The  Word  of  God  shall  stand  for  ever,"  Isa.  40 :  8. 
"Beginning  at  Moses,"  etc.,  Luke  24:  27,  44.  "Search  the  Scriptures,"  John  5 :  39. 
"The  Holy  Scriptures  are  able  to  make  thee  wise  unto  salvation,"  etc.  ;  "  All  Scripture 
is  given  by  inspiration  of  God,"  etc.,  2  Tim.  3 :  15,  16.  "  We  have  also  a  more  sure 
word  of  prophecy,"  etc.,  2  Pet.  1 :  19-21 ;  Heb.  1:1,2;  John  15  :  27  ;  19  :  35  ;  21  :  24; 
Luke  1:1-4;  1  John  1:1-3;  Gal.  1:8;  Luke  10 :  16  ;  John  13  :  13 ;  1  Thess.  2:13; 

2  Pet.  1 :  16  ;  3:2;  Jude  17  ;  Acts  17  :  11. 

Art.  V.  In  order  to  fulfill  her  heavenly  calling,  it  is  the  duty  of  the  church,  while 
using  the  various  gifts  God  bestows,  to  use  in  the  unity  of  the  Spirit  those  means  which 
he  gives  for  her  edification,  namely:  the  Word,  Baptism,  and  the  Lord's  Supper. 
All  use  of  carnal  weapons  in  the  affairs  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  the  church  ought 
to  shun  as  unscriptural  and  inadmissible.  Mat.  28:  19,  20;  Acts  2 :  42;  Col.  3 :  16  ; 
1  Cor.  11  :  23-26  ;  Mat.  26  :  26-28 ;  Luke  22 :  19,  20  ;  John  18  :  36  ;  Mat.  22  :  21  ; 
26  :  53  ;  Acts  8  :  18-20  ;  2  Cor.  10  :  14  ;  Eph.  6  :  11-18  ;  Acts  18  :  15. 

Art.  VI.  While  the  church  acknowledges  all  the  privileges  of  believers,  and  the 
duty  of  each  one,  according  to  the  gifts  he  has  received,  to  declare  the  Lord's  merit, 
yet  she  may  separately  choose  and  call  supervisors  or  elders,  teachers,  evangelists, 
deacons  and  deaconesses,  for  rendering  the  service  which  God's  Word  directs  for  the 
edification  of  his  church.  1  Pet.  2  :  9,  and  v.  5  ;  1  Thess.  5:  11  (see  under  Art.  II.)  ; 
Num.  11 :  29  ;  Joel  2  :  28  ;  1  Cor.  14  :  26,  31  ;  1  Tim.  4 :  14  ;  2  Tim.  2:2;  Acts  14  :  23  ; 
6 :  2-4  ;  Rom.  16  :  1  ;  Acts  13  :  2  (see  under  Art.  II.) ;  Acts  20 :  28  ;  1  Pet.  5  :  2,  3  ;  1 
Thess.  5 :  12,  13  ;  Heb.  13  :  7,  17. 

Art.  VII.  The  church  itself  may  determine  the  order  and  detail  of  the  meetings 
of  the  church,  as  well  as  at  baptisms,  and  the  Lord's  Supper,  that  according  to  God's 
Word  all  things  may  be  done  decently  and  in  order.  John  4  :  24  ;  1  Cor.  14 :  40,  and 
v.  26   see  under  Art.  II.)  ;  Col.  3  :  16,  17  ;  1  Cor.  8 :  9. 


48  A   WIND   FROM   THE  HOLY   SPIRIT 

Art.  VIII.  The  affairs  of  the  church  are  decided  by  vote,  wherein  all  the  members 
of  the  church  of  a  certain  age  partake  with  equal  right.  The  age  each  church  sepa- 
rately decides  for  itself .      "Then  the  twelve  called  the  multitude  of  the  disciples 

look  ye  out  among  you  seven  men — and  the  saying  pleased  the  whole  multitude  and 
they  chose  Stephen,"  Acts  6  :  2,  3,  5.  "  Then  pleased  it  the  apostles  and  elders,  with 
the  whole  church;  to  send  chosen  men  of  their  own  company  to  Antioch,"  Acts  15  :  22 
also  vs.  23,  25,  30.      "  Ye  younger  submit  yourselves  unto  the  elder,"  1  Pet.  5  :  5. 

Art.  IX.  If  some  member  of  the  church  does  not  walk  worthy  of  the  gospel,  he 
should,  according  to  the  Word  of  the  Lord  and  the  apostolic  example,  be  the  object  of 
loving  censure,  and  if  he  continues  in  his  sin,  be  expelled  from  the  church.  He  may, 
however,  be  received  into  the  church  again,  provided  he  changes  his  mind.  Mat.  18  : 
15-18  ;  2  Cor.  13  :  1 ;  John  20  :  23  ;  Mat.  10  :  19  ;  1  Thess.  5  :  14  ;  2  Thess.  3  :  6,  14,  15  ; 
1  Cor.  5:3-5;  1  Tim.  1  :  20 ;  1  Cor.  5  :  11-13  ;  1  Tim.  5 :  19,  20  ;  2  Cor.  2  :  6-8. 

Art.  X.  To  provide  for  matters  of  common  interest,  such  as  home  and  foreign  mis- 
sions, education  of  teachers,  mutual  help,  etc.,  the  separate  churches  may  unite  in  a 
general  meeting  in  order  to  agree  concerning  the  methods  which  are  necessary.  In 
the  decisions  made  at  these  meetings  only  delegates  may  take  part  who  have  been 
chosen  for  that  purpose  by  the  churches.  Acts  15:  1,  2,  4,  6,  22  ;  Rom.  15  :  25,  26  ; 
Acts  11 :  29,  30  (see  under  Art.  II.)  ;  1  Cor.  16  :  1  ;  Eph.  4  :  16  ;  Col.  2  :  19  ;  2  Cor.  8 : 
18,  19,  23  ;  Acts  18 :  24-28. 

Art.  XI.  Should  Christians  who  do  not  belong  to  a  church  instituted  according  to 
this  order,  but  yet  are  well  witnessed  for  the  Christian  life,  desire  to  partake  of  the 
Lord's  Supper  with  this  church,  then  the  church  must  decide  concerning  it.  Mark  9 : 
38-41  ;  Rom.  12  :  5  ;  1  Cor.  10  :  17  ;  12 :  12,  20,  27  ;  Rom.  16  ;  1,  2  ;  2  Cor.  3:1; 
1  John  3:  12;  1  Cor.  13:  13. 

Art.  XII.  Since,  according  to  Art.  IV.,  the  Holy  Scriptures  are  the  highest  and 
only  rule,  it  follows,  therefore,  that  if  anything  in  these  Articles,  upon  further  trial, 
should  be  found  not  to  possess  sufficient  ground  in  the  Scriptures,  it  should  be  changed. 
"  For  we  know  in  part  and  we  prophesy  in  part,  But  when  that  which  is  perfect  is 
come,  then  that  which  is  in  part  shall  be  done  away,"  1  Cor.  13 :  9,  10. 

I  have  a  collection  of  the  confessions  and  church  rules  of  thirty  of  these 
Mission  churches  from  various  parts  of  Sweden,  and  present  below  such 
brief  extracts  from  some  of  them  as  fairly  illustrate  their  characteristics. 
None  of  them  are  full  copies  of  the  report  of  the  committee  of  "  seven 
wise  men,"  while  most  of  them  are  in  general  harmony  with  it.  A  careful 
l-eading  of  these  will  reveal  some  novel  and  interesting  methods,  and  give 
a  clear  insight  into  the  practical  and  interior  working  of  these  Mission 
churches. 

Mission  Society  of  Ostertjnda,  1880. 

§  I.  The  Mission  Society  in  Osterunda  would  be  a  Christian  church,  independent 
of  human  written  creeds,  but  would  be  founded  upon  the  Word  of  God,  working,  in 
brotherly  communion,  with  a  living  faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  for  the  mutual  edification  of 
its  members,  for  their  care  and  aid,  and  for  the  spread  of  the  kingdom  of  God. 

Hedesunda  Mission  Society,  1880. 

§  I.  The  object  of  the  Society  is  to  unite  the  Christians  in  Hedesunda  parish  for 
mutual  edification,  Christian  labors  and  discipline,  etc. 

§  V.  Duties  of  the  Managers.— 3.  To   arrange   that   a  service   of   prayer  for 


IN   SWEDEN   AND   NORWAY.  49 

missions  is  held  the  first  Sunday  of  each  month  and  a  collection  taken  at  that  time  for 
foreign  missions  ;  also  that  on  the  third  Sunday  a  collection  shall  be  taken  for  home 
missions. 

Immanuel  Church,  Stockholm,  1881. 

§  III.  .  .  .  This  church  desires  to  observe  and  keep  according  to  the  Word  of  the 
Lord  the  institutions  commended  by  our  Savior,  and  to  exercise  mutual  oversight  and 
discipline.  It  is  the  wish  of  this  church  that  its  members  shall  partake  at  the  celebra- 
tion of  the  Lord's  Supper  within  the  church ;  but  thereby  they  do  not  say  anything  to 
prevent  any  one  from  communing  with  other  Christians,  but  allow  liberty  as  love  re- 
quires. 

§  VI.  .  .  .  This  church  aims  at  purity  in  doctrine  and  zeal  in  labor,  but  always 
laying  it  to  heart  that  love  is  the  greatest ;  and  with  regard  to  all  God's  children,  even 
the  simple  ones  to  endeavor  to  fulfill  the  Word  of  the  Lord :  "  Love  one  another."  In 
respect  to  baptism,  each  member  shall  have  freedom  to  act  according  to  his  own  con- 
victions. 

"West  Lofsta  Mission  Church,  1880. 

§  I.  This  church  is  composed  of  men  and  women  who  truly  believe  on  Christ,  and 
who  will  seek,  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  and  in  harmony  with  the  Word  of  God,  to  spread 
the  kingdom  of  Christ,  both  within  and  without  the  church. 

§  II.   This  mission  aims  : 

(«)  To  have  the  Word  of  God  proclaimed  by  ministers  who  truly  believe  on  Christ ; 

(b)  To  establish  and  support  Sunday-schools  ; 

(c)  To  see,  too,  that  the  Word  of  God  is  studied  "  here  and  there  in  the  houses," 
when  the  church  appoints  some  of  the  members  to  lead  meetings  for  edification. 

§  III.   The  church  chooses  : 

(a)  Leader.  (1  Tim.  3.  For  the  duty  of  the  leader,  see  Acts  20  :  28  ;  1  Pet  5  : 
1-3.  The  church's  duty  toward  the  leader,  Heb.  13  :  1? ;  1  Thess.  5 :  12,  13  ;  1  Tim. 
5  :  17 ;  Phil.  2  :  29.     The  leader's  salary,  1  Cor.  9  :  7-11 ;  1  Tim.  5  :  18.) 

(b)  As  many  elders  as  necessary  (2  Thess.  3  :  12) ;  whose  duty  it  is  to  watch  over 
the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  church-members  eacb  in  his  own  circle.  Acts  14  :  21-23 ; 
1  Pet.  5  :  1-3. 

(c)  President,  vice-president,  three  secretaries,  treasurer,  three  revisers,  and  as 
many  female  assistants  as  are  needed,  who  all  have  to  carry  out  the  decisions  of  the 
church  in  business  matters.  All  these  are  chosen  by  the  church  by  balloting  for  one 
person  at  a  time.     The  election  is  held  previous  to  each  annual  meeting. 

§  IV.  Should  a  member  in  doctrine  or  life  stray  from  the  Word  of  God,  he  is  ad- 
monished according  to  Mat.  18 :  15-17 ;  2  Thess.  3 :  14,  15  ;  1  Tim.  5 :  20.  A  mem- 
ber who  falls  into  open  sin,  such  as  is  mentioned  in  1  Cor.  5  and  2  Thess.  3 :  6-15, 
shall  not  be  looked  upon  as  one  having  fellowship  with  the  church,  until  he  has  con- 
fessed his  sins  before  the  church,  and  shall  during  the  time  be  treated  according  to  the 
above-mentioned  fifteenth  verse ;  but  can  again  be  received,  if  he  confesses  his  sin, 
when  the  church  should  treat  him  according  to  2  Cor.  2  : 5—11.  Elders  are  to  be  treated 
according  to  1  Tim.  5  :  19,  20. 

§  V.  Persons  who  wish  to  join  the  church  shall  apply  to  the  elder  in  the  circle 
where  he  resides.  The  elder  shall  ask  some  of  the  members  of  the  circle  to  converse 
with  the  applicant.  Thereafter  the  elder  shall  report  to  the  church,  who  shall  at  the 
next  monthly  meeting  receive  or  reject  the  applicant.  No  one  shall  be  received  who, 
so  far  as  man  can  judge,  does  not  live  in  a  true  union  with  God. 

§  VI.  The  death  of  Jesus  shall  be  celebrated  within  the  church ;  and  also  bap- 
tisms performed  when  so  requested,  for  the  performing  of  which  the  church  selects 
the  servers.     Acts  2  :  38-42  ;  Eph.  4  :  5. 
4 


50  A   WIND   FROM   THE   HOLY   SPIRIT 

§  VII.  The  members  ought  not  to  go  to  law  with  one  another  before  worldly  tri- 
bunals, but  should  settle  their  disagreements  within  the  church,  according  to  1  Cor. 
6 :  1-8. 

§  VIII.  The  church  shall  arrange  sewing  societies  for  the  raising  of  funds.  Each 
member  should  annually  make  a  free-will  offering  for  defraying  the  expenses  of  tbe 
church.  A  collection  is  taken  at  the  regular  meetings  once  each  month.  Money  is 
sent  to  the  Mission  Union  to  be  used  by  them  when  it  is  needed. 

§  IX.  The  church  shall  hold  each  year  an  annual  meeting  at  New  Year's  time, 
when  the  secretary  shall  read  his  annual  reports  and  give  account  of  the  financial 

situation. 

§  X.  The  church  shall  provide  for  meeting  in  the  Mission  house  on  Sundays  and 
holy  days  by  believing  and  known  ministers.  Unknown  ministers  who  cannot  show 
recommendation  from  a  known  person  or  church  ought  not  to  be  called  by  the  church- 
members,  nor  allowed  to  occupy  the  church. 

Husby  Mission  Society,  1882. 

1.  "God  is  Love  ; "  "  For  God  so  loved  the  world  that,"  etc.,  John  3  :  16  ;  1  John 
4  :  9,  10;  John  14  :  9.  "As  many  as  received  him,  to  them  gave  he  power  to  become 
the  sons  of  God,"  etc.,  John  1 :  12  ;  17  : 8.  "If  God  so  loved  us,  we  ought  also  to  love 
,one  another,"  1  John  4  :  11.     "  We  love  him  because  he  first  loved  us,"  1  John  4  :  19. 

"And   this  commandment  have   we  from  him,  that  he  who  loveth  God,   love   his 
brother  also,"  1  John  4  :  21. 

2.  Upon  the  ground  of  the  foregoing  the  Husby  Mission  Society  has  arisen. 

§  I.  The  object  of  the  society  is  to  unite  the  Christians  in  Husby  for  mutual  edifi- 
cation and  Christian  labor.     John  17  :  21  ;  1  Thess.  5:11;  1  Pet.  2  :  9. 

§  II.  The  society  receives  as  members  each  and  all,  men  or  women,  who  believe  on 
Jesus  Christ  and  live  the  Christian  life  and  closely  agree  to  the  Lutheran  Confession. 
1  John  5:1-5;  2:6;  John  15  :  4,  5. 

§  IV.  2.  As  to  the  sacrament,  the  members  of  the  society  act  according  to  the 
Word  of  God  and  their  consciences.  1  Cor.  11  :  17-34  ;  Acts  2  :  46  ;  1  Cor.  8:9; 
14 :  40  ;  Acts  16  :  33. 

Mission  Society  of  Nors  Socken,  1879. 

§  I.  The  object  of  the  society  is  to  endeavor  to  gather  the  scattered  members  of 
Christ's  body  into  a  greater  unity  and  order,  that  they  may  learn  to  know  one  another 
better,  love  one  another  more,  be  to  one  another  a  support  and  aid  in  both  spiritual 
and  temporal  matters,  and  that  tbey  may  better  fulfill  their  heavenly  calling  to  be  a 
light  and  salt  in  the  world's  darkness  and  putrefaction,  and  by  prayer  and  gifts  support 
the  heralds  of  the  gospel  among  ourselves  as  well  as  among  other  nations.  1  Thess.  5 : 
11 ;  1  Pet.  3:5;  Gal.  6:2;  1  Cor.  15  :  58  ;  1  Thess.  5 :  12,  13. 

§  VII.  .  .  .  Touching  baptism,  the  Lord's  Supper,  etc.,  about  which  unlike 
views  may  arise,  the  society  will  force  no  one's  conscience  ;  "endeavoring  to  keep  the 
unity  of  the  Spirit  in  the  bond  of  peace,"  Eph.  4 :  3. 

§  VII.  As  the  society  will  become  too  large  for  all  its  members  to  meet  together 
often,  it  is  divided  into  smaller  so-called  "  circle  societies,"  each  one  of  which  will  hold 
minor  meetings  at  least  once  a  month,  at  time  and  place  appointed  by  themselves. 

§  X.  .  .  .  The  rules  shall  be  changed  so  soon  as  upon  careful  trial  they  are 
found  to  be  in  conflict  with  the  Word  of  God. 

Landskrona,  1875. 

§  VII.  The  minister  who  shall  be  permitted  to  preach  in  the  society's  hall  must  hold 
to  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Confession.     He  must  be  known  as  a  pious  Christian,  of  a 


IN   SWEDEN   AND   NORWAY.  51 

good  conversation,  and  must  live  in  brotherly  love  with  all  that  are  born  of  God.  Above 
all,  he  must  be  zealous  for  the  winning  of  souls  to  Christ  and  not  to  any  certain  re- 
ligious sect. 

Brothers'  Society  of  Hudiksvall,  1880. 

§  XII.  ...  No  one  shall  have  a  right  to  appear  in  the  hall  of  the  society  as  a 
preacher  contrary  to  the  will  of  its  officers.  Should  at  least  ten  of  the  members  of  the 
church  desire  any  minister  to  preach  in  said  hall  contrary  to  the  wish  of  its  officers, 
then,  on  request,  the  society  shall  meet  within  eight  days  to  decide  in  the  case.  The 
decision  of  the  officers  shall  hold  good  until  the  society  has  taken  action. 

Christian  Mission  Society  in  Norrherke. 

§  IV.  If  any  one  desires  to  join  the  society  he  shall  make  application  to  the  officers 
of  the  society,  who  shall  through  the  chairman,  at  the  next  meeting,  propose  such  a 
one  (or  ones).  At  the  next  meeting  the  members  of  the  society  shall  vote  for  or 
against  the  applicant,  who,  if  he  receives  a  three-fourths  majority  vote,  shall  be  re- 
ceived as  a  member. 

§  X.  .  .  .  The  society  shall  hold  an  annual  celebration,1  at  which,  after  public 
service,  the  managers  shall  report  on  the  activity  of  the  society  during  the  past  year 
and  shall  read  the  annual  statement  of  the  revisers. 

Westeras  Evangelical  Lutheran  Society,  1878. 

§  X.  The  property  of  the  society,  of  whatever  name  or  kind,  cannot  be  sold, 
mortgaged,  or  pledged  ;  neither  may  money  be  borrowed  in  its  name,  nor  real  estate 
purchased  ;  neither  may  any  resolutions  toward  dissolving  the  society  be  acted  upon, 
except  at  a  regular  meeting  nor  without  at  least  fourteen  days'  notice  of  extra  meetings, 
at  which  the  votes  of  at  least  three-fourths  of  the  members  present  are  necessary  to 
carry  a  motion. 

§  XI.  All  voting  shall  be  by  ballot,  when  each  member  has  one  vote,  and  all  ques- 
tions, with  the  exception  of  those  in  paragraph  X.,  shall  be  decided  by  majority  vote. 
A  tie  shall  be  decided  by  lot. 

Mission  Society  of  Morrum  and  Elleholm. 

§  III.  The  object  of  this  society  is  as  follows :  besides  contributing  toward  the 
preaching  of  the  Word  of  God,  the  members  of  the  society  meet,  in  small  circles,  so  far 
church  0S/Cnce  a  week,  and  as  a  whole  once  a  month,  to  study  the  Word  of  God  and 
mentn   %<         ;ng  and  singing. 

in  18'    <?#  'etyis  divided  into  five  small  circles,  viz.,  Morrum,  Elleholm,  Wek- 

amir  and  Forneboda.     For  each  circle  a  leader  is  chosen  who  shall  lead 

l1"  u  jrving  '      r  is  detained,  the  meeting  shall  be  led  by  some  one  of  the 

friends  presenO'dtelbo 

Mission  Society  of  Grijms,  1883. 

§  I.  On  the  ground  of  the  Lord's  promise  in  Mat.  18 :  19,  20,  and  the  exhorta- 
tion in  1  Pet.  2  :  9,  the  friends  of  God's  Word  in  Grams  have  joined  themselves  to- 
gether in  a  society  whose  aim  is  to  endeavor,  with  the  talents  and  strength  the  Lord 
bestows,  to  seek  in  spirit  and  in  truth  for  the  spread  of  Christ's  kingdom,  both  at  home 
and  abroad. 

§11.  We  approve  of  the  principles  and  aims  of  the   "Wermlands  Ansgarii   So- 

1  Lit.,  hvgtklsdag — i.e.,  "high-times  day." 


52  A  WIND   FROM   THE   HOLY   SPIRIT 

ciety."  We  desire,  therefore,  to  choose  from  our  society  a  delegate  and  substitute  who 
shall  arrange  a  close  union  with  the  "  Ansgarii  Society"  according  to  their  rules. 
Our  society,  as  likewise  the  "Ansgarii  Society,"  is  connected  with  the  Mission  Union. 

§  III.  The  business  of  the  society  is  transacted  by  directors,  composed  of  as  many 
persons  as  necessity  requires  (not  less  than  seven  nor  more  than  fifteen).  These  per- 
sons are  chosen,  so  far  as  possible,  from  tbe  different  districts  of  the  society,  and  they 
are  to  be  such  persons  as  are  described  in  Acts  G  :  '6. 

§  V.  .  .  .  The  choice  and  call  of  a  minister  is  done  at  the  third  regular  meet- 
ing, when  as  many  as  possible  of  the  members  are  to  be  present  to  take  action.  The 
calling  of  ministers  to  supply  for  one  or  several  days  shall  be  in  the  hands  of  the 
managing  committee. 

§  VII.  .  .  .  The  salary  of  the  minister  shall  be  paid  quarterly  and  at  the  fourth 
regular  meeting.  The  money  of  tbe  society  cannot  be  used  for  other  purposes  than 
that  for  which  it  has  been  appropriated  at  their  meetings. 

8  VIII.  At  least  once  during  the  quarter  a  service  of  prayer  for  missions  shall  be 
held  in  the  different  districts,  when  reports  from  foreign  missions  shall  be  given  and  a 
collection  shall  be  taken  for  the  same. 

§  X.  .  .  .  Grums  Mission  Society  receives  and  counts  as  members  all  whose  Chris- 
tian life  and  character  are  known,  and  who  have  made  application  to  the  church  com- 
mittee at  its  meeting,  or  to  one  of  its  members  in  the  district  where  they  live.  When 
application  is  made  to  a  member  of  the  committee,  it  is  his  duty  to  give  in  writing  the 
applicants'  names,  characters,  and  residences  to  the  chairman,  who  shall  record  them 
as  members. 

East  Fernebo  Mission  Society,  1880. 

§  III.  .  .  .  The  society  chooses  within  itself,  according  to  the  example  of  the 
New  Testament,  by  prayer  and  the  laying  on  of  hands,  a  chairman,  and  such  other 
officers,  male  and  female,  as  may  be  necessary. 

§  IV.  If  any  one  would  become  a  member  of  this  society,  he  or  she  shall  make 
application  to  its  chairman  or  officers,  who  shall  inquire  regarding  the  Christian  life  of 
the  applicant  and  report  to  the  society  at  a  public  meeting,  when  the  society  shall  take 
action  whether  such  applicant  shall  be  received  as  a  member  or  not. 

§  VI.  The  officers  of  the  society  shall  serve  in  the  places  to  which  the  society  en- 
trusts them,  and  render  their  service  so  long  as  the  society  finds  no  valid  reason  for 
their  going  out. 

§  VII.  All  business  of  the  society  not  provided  for  in  these  rules  may  be  trans- 
acted at  a  public  meeting,  according  to  God's  Word,  if  they  can  jointly  find  its  mej>'Uir  a 
ing;    and   in  all  other  cases  it  must  be  decided  by  majority  vote  of  those  prfe  support 
In  case  of  a  tie  the   president   shall  decide,  and  this  opinion  shall  be    receivers.  5 : 
final. 

„  __  etc,  *,  *nlik« 

Kbistiania,  Norway.  Wndea^ 

|  I.  This  shall  be  called  the  Free  Christian  Church  in  Kristia.    .. 
§  XIV.  No  law  or  statute  [creed  ?— Tr.]  shall  be  adopted,  but  we  do  according  to 
the  Word  of  God,  as  well  as  we  understand  it. 

Swedish  Mission  Tabernacle  Congregation,  Chicago,  III. 

§  II.  Persons  desirous  of  becoming  members  of  this  church  shall  make  it  known 
to  some  one  of  the  elders  or  deacons,  who  shall  examine  the  candidate's  spiritual  state. 

§  IH.  The  candidate  should,  in  the  presence  of  the  church  at  a  regular  called 
meeting,  give  a  statement  as  to  his  religious  history. 


IN   SWEDEN  AND   NORWAY.  53 

£  IV.  The  church  decides  at  this  meeting  whether  or  not  the  candidate  shall  be 
admitted  by  ballot,  yet  not  in  the  candidate's  presence. 

§  V.  Should  the  candidate  not  be  well  enough  known,  his  admission  may  be 
postponed  until  satisfactory  knowledge  may  be  obtained. 

§  VI.  A  candidate  cannot  be  admitted  if  there  are  any  votes  against  him  ;  but 
such  a  complaint  must  be  founded  on  the  Word  of  God  and  true  knowledge  of  the 
cause. 

The  following  paragraph  is  from  the  second  (1883)  annual  report  of 
the  Halmstad  Mission  Society  : 

The  Bibelbag  Mission  is  really  independent  of  the  Halmstad  Mission  Society, 
but  it  has  been  carried  on  by  four  of  its  members.  During  the  year  it  has  distributed 
fifty-seven  Swedish  and  Norwegian  New  Testaments,  with  the  Psalms  and  some  Bibles, 
besides  tracts,  books,  and  periodicals  of  good  religious  reading.  Of  these  part  were 
contributed  by  Fosterlands-stiftelsen,  by  the  publishers  of  "Sannings  Wittnett,"  and 
by  Pastor  Lindstr.Hn.  During  the  year,  1,857  Bibelbags  have  been  distributed  on  Swed- 
ish, Danish,  Norwegian,  Finnish,  Germanl  and  English  ships. 

Letter  from  President  Ekman. 

Kristinehamn,  Sweden,  July  24,  1884. 

My  dear  Brother  :  The  Lord  Jehovah  is  the  rock  of  ages !  As  you  promised 
me  when  we  last  met  that  I  might  write  to  you  in  Swedish,  I  have  taken  the  opportu- 
nity, trusting  that  in  some  way  you  can  find  out  the  contents.  First  and  foremost,  I 
will  thank  you  most  heartily  for  your  recent  visit  to  us,  which  gave  us  great  joy  and 
encouragement.  Likewise  I  thank  you  for  your  letter  to  me,  which  was  very  welcome ; 
so  also  was  the  photograph  of  your  Home  Missionary  Anniversary.  Hearty  thanks  for 
all !  By  request  of  our  Missionary  Society  at  our  last  annual  meeting,  I  hereby  for- 
ward you  a  brotherly  greeting,  which  you  will  kindly  make  known  to  the  members  of 
your  churches. 

May  the  tie  of  love  unite  in  one  all  the  believing  on  both  sides  of  the  great  half- 
worlds  for  co-operation  in  extending  the  kingdom  of  God !  I  will  now  answer  the 
questions  you  ask  in  your  last  letter. 

I  was  born  at  Stromsbro,  Sweden,  a  suburb  to  Gene,  in  the  province  of  Gestrikland, 
January  8,  1842,  where  my  father  was  a  "priest"  [i.e.,  pastor  of  a  Lutheran  State 
church— Ed.]  and  school-teacher.  My  studies  were  prosecuted  at  the  "higher  ele- 
mentary school "  at  Gefle  until  I  passed  my  examination  at  the  University  of  Upsala, 
in  1862.  Afterward  I  studied  theological  science  at  the  same  university  ;  passed  the  ex- 
amination, December  20,  1864,  and  thereby  entered  the  service  of  the  Swedish  State 
church.  After  serving  in  two  places  as  assistant  pastor,  I  was  promoted  to  ordinurie 
Icomminister  in  Ockelbo,  November  22,  1868,  where  I  remained  until  I  resigned  my 
position  in  the  Swedish  State  church,  September  1,  1879.  While  in  Ockelbo  I  passed 
my  pastoral  examination  at  Upsala  University,  September  2,  1871. 

The  reason  for  my  resigning  my  ministerial  office  '  was  this :  During  the  whole 
time  I  was  priest  [i.e.,  Lutheran  pastor — Ed.]  I  had  an  open  eye  to  the  many  faults 
and  defects  in  the  State  church,  but  at  first  I  thought  that  she  might  be  reformed  and 
become  a  church  of  Jesus  Christ.     Therefore  I  labored  with  an  honest  endeavor  for 

1  This  is  the  usual  Swedish  expression  when  a  minister  leaves  the  State  church.  It 
does  not  mean  that  he  has  abandoned  preaching,  but  simply  that  he  has  left  the  State 
church  service  and  is  no  longer  recognized  by  that  church  as  a  minister  of  the  gospel. 
—Ed. 


54  A   WIND   FKOM   THE   HOLY   SPIEIT 

her  reformation,  but  I  found  more  and  more  the  improbability  in  the  thought  that  a 
State  church,  including  all  human  beings  who  dwell  in  a  certain  land,  should  become 
a  church  of  Christ.  By  this  I  mean  that  all  should  become  believers  on  Christ,  for 
which  we  have  no  promise  from  the  Lord  for  this  generation.  Besides  that,  the 
more  I  sought  to  prosecute  my  labors  according  to  the  Word  of  God,  the  more  I  ex- 
perienced persecutions  from  the  side  of  the  church  authorities,  and  to  my  grief  I 
learned  by  degrees  that  the  object  of  the  State  church  was  not  to  be  governed  by  the 
Word  of  God,  but  to  follow  her  own  laws  and  regulations,  and,  above  all,  to  build  up 
her  own  authority  that  she  might  rule  over  the  conscience.  I  began  to  see  that,  on  the 
whole,  she  was  not  the  bride  of  Christ,  but  an  adulteress,  which  every  conscientious 
man  ought  to  shun  that  he  may  not  partake  in  her  sins. 

As  the  years  passed,  I  recognized  more  and  more  that  I  was  in  a  false  position,  and 
my  spirit  felt  the  narrowness  of  the  place  inside  the  walls  of  the  State  church.  This 
increased  yet  more  when,  in  the  autumn  of  1866,  I  visited  a  Free  Ministerial  Confer- 
ence of  ministers  and  laymen  in  Stockholm,  where  the  questions  in  regard  to  the 
church  were  sincerely  discussed  in  the  light  of  the  Word  of  God.  I  returned  thence 
fully  persuaded  that  I  could  remain  in  the  service  of  the  State  church  only  by  at  least 
beginning  to  carry  out  the  church  discipline  to  the  extent  that  the  openly  unfaithful 
should  be  excluded  from  the  communion  table. 

I  began  this  at  once,  although  I  thereby  drew  upon  myself  a  storm  of  ill-will  from 
the  uugodly  side.  This  course  was,  however,  a  crutch  on  which  I  supported  myself  a 
few  years,  until  even  this  broke.  This  question  came  to  have  more  and  more  importance 
with  me:  "Who  has  given  to  thee  alone  the  right  to  exercise  church  discipline? 
Has  not  God  left  this  power  to  the  church  ?  But  where  is  God's  church  to  be  found?  " 
etc.  Besides,  it  became  more  and  more  unbearable  to  me  that  God  should  be  thanked, 
because  at  the  baptism  of  children  those  who  before  had  been  the  children  of  the 
devil  and  of  wrath  had  now  thereby  been  born  anew  and  become  the  children  of  God. 
Moreover,  there  was  confirmation,  an  act  in  the  highest  degree  false,  and  therefore  con- 
science-torturing, since  by  it  a  number  of  ungodly  and  thoughtless  children  are  made 
full  communicant  members  of  the  church  of  God,  but  who  in  fact,  through  this  act, 
only  receive  an  indulgence  to  live  at  liberty  with  the  world  and  in  sin.  All  this  became 
too  heavy  for  me  to  bear ;  wherefore,  after  much  prayer  and  wrestling  with  God,  I 
resolved  to  forsake  the  earthly  advantages  attaching  to  the  ministerial  office  in  the  State 
church  and  to  resign  that  office,  in  order  that  I  might  afterward  occupy  a  true  position 
and  one  independent  of  the  churchly  authorities ;  sure  that  God  would  supply  the 
necessary  wants  of  myself,  wife,  and  children,  which  he  has  abundantly  done. 

From  my  work  in  Ockelbo  I  moved  to  Kristinehamn,  in  the  province  of  Wermland, 
where  I  accepted  a  call  from  the  Mission  friends  to  become  principal  of  the  Mission 
School  in  that  place,  which  office  I  still  continue  to  hold,  and  am  likewise  chairman  of 
the  Committee  of  Managers  of  the  Swedish  Mission  Union.  Hitherto  the  Lord  hath 
helped,  blessed  be  his  name! 

During  the  years  I  have  had  control  of  this  theological  school,  it  has  had  on  the  aver- 
age thirty-five  students,  divided  into  two  classes.  Most  of  these  have  become  ministers 
in  our  mission  societies  and  Free  churches  at  home.  Fifteen  have  given  themselves  to 
foreign  missions  in  Lapland,  Finland,  Bussia,  and  Africa.  Besides  me  there  are  the 
following  teachers  at  the  Kristinehamn  school:  Pastor  A.  Fernholm,  Nils  Wikanderoch, 
and  S.  Soderlund  ;  and  at  the  theological  school  in  Windslof,  Rev.  N.  F.  Graflund. 
I  forward  to  you  most  of  the  documents  you  request  and  will  try  to  secure  the 

others  for  you. 

May  now  the  Lord  abundantly  bless  us !     My  wife,  my  mother  and  children  send 
hearty  greetings.     When  you  have  published  your  report  I  hope  to  see  it. 
Yours  affectionately  united  in  the  Lord, 

E.  J.  Ekman. 


IN   SWEDEN   AND   NORWAY.  55 


Letter  from  Professor  Fernholm. 

Kristinehamn,  Sweden,  July  24,  1884. 

Dear  Brother  in  the  Grace  of  Jesus  :  You  wish  me  to  write  you  something 
about  myself  and  my  experiences  in  the  Free  religious  movement  in  Sweden  during 
the  last  twenty-five  years,  and  I  will  comply  so  far  as  possible. 

I  am  the  son  of  a  cottager  ;  was  born  May  7,  1840,  in  Westerfernebo,  in  the  prov- 
ince of  Westmanland,  Sweden.  I  had  one  brother  and  one  sister,  born  the  one  in 
January  and  the  other  in  December  of  the  same  year,  1825,  and  at  my  birth,  although 
they  were  only  fifteen  years  of  age,  they  were  already  away  from  home  earning  their 
own  bread.  When  not  quite  three  years  old  I  began  to  ask  my  parents  the  names  of 
the  letters  and  how  to  learn  to  read  ;  and  to  the  great  astonishment  of  all  was  able  in 
a  short  time  to  read  with  ease,  although  I  was  too  young  to  be  able  to  speak  plainly. 
My  desire  was  toward  reading,  but  how  much  soever  I  desired  to  study,  there  was,  owing 
to  the  poverty  of  my  parents,  no  seeming  possibility  that  my  wish  could  be  gratified. 

The  Bible  was  almost  my  only  book,  and  before  I  was  four  years  old  I  was  quite  well 
at  home  in  the  contents  of  both  the  Old  and  the  New  Testaments.  Naturally  enough 
I  enjoyed  the  historical  parts  the  most,  although  I  read  the  prophets,  the  apostolic  let- 
ters, and  Revelation  as  well.  When  I  was  nine  years  old  my  parents  bought  a  little 
farm,  the  smallest  that  any  one  owned  in  the  township.  Although  small  in  stature 
and  sickly,  I  soon  had  to  help  with  the  rough  work,  such  as  to  chop  wood,  cradle  grain, 
mow  grass,  help  to  build  the  stacks  for  making  charcoal,  etc.  At  that  time  the  oppor- 
tunities at  the  public  schools  in  my  birthplace  were  poor,  but  even  these  I  was  not  per- 
mitted to  enjoy,  but  at  spare  hours  and  on  my  own  hook  had  to  search  for  knowledge. 

At  the  age  of  sixteen  years  I  had  been  in  school  only  five  days.  Nevertheless,  I 
had  taught  myself  arithmetic,  writing,  the  whole  Swedish  history,  and  several  other 
common  studies.  Soon  after  an  opportunity  was  offered  me  to  enter  the  "high  ele- 
mentary" school  in  Westeras.  I  suffered  often  from  poverty,  dressed  shabbily,  and 
very  many  times  had  to  go  without  sufficient  food  ;  but  I  was  used  to  suffering  and 
cared  nothing  for  it  as  long  as  I  could  study.  Through  over-exertion  and  want  I  be- 
came very  sick  and  near  to  death  in  1860,  which  delayed  me  in  my  studies  ;  then 
weak  eyes  prevented  my  reading  for  nearly  a  year.  Yet  I  passed  my  entrance 
examination  into  Upsala  University,  in  18G3,  and  was  registered  there  as  "  civis 
academicus."  After  finishing  my  studies  there  I  was  ordained  minister  in  the 
Lutheran  State  church,  in  1866,  and  served  afterward  as  assistant  pastor  in  Frovi, 
Lynsnaberg,  and  Grythytland,  in  Westeras  diocese,  until  1870,  when  I  accepted  a  call 
from  the  "  Wermland  Ansgarii  Society  "  to  move  to  Kristinehamn  and  open  a  Mission 
school,  and  likewise  to  serve  as  minister  within  the  same  society.  I  traveled  around 
and  preached  for  Mission  societies  in  Wermland,  Westmanland,  Nerike,  and  several 
other  places  in  the  country,  until  I  started  the  Mission  Bible  school  in  Kristinehamn.  in 
February,  1871.  In  the  same  year  I  was  married  to  the  wife  who  has  since  faithfully 
and  lovingly  stood  by  my  side.  I  continued  the  school  and  visiting  the  Mission  societies 
round  the  country  until  May,  1872.  During  the  first  year,  there  were  twelve  students 
in  this  school.  Of  these,  six  labor  in  Sweden  as  ministers,  four  of  whom  are  in  the 
Free  churches,  one  among  the  Baptists,  and  one  among  the  Plymouth  brethren.  Two 
are  ministers  in  America,  of  whom  Rev.  E.  Aug.  Skogsberg,  of  Minneapolis,  is  one. 
One  went  as  a  missionary  to  Africa  for  the  Fosterlands-stiftelsen,  but  died  soon  after 
his  arrival  there.  One  is  now  laboring  as  a  missionary  of  the  Fosterlands-stiftelsen  in 
Hindostan,  India.  One  is  a  Swedish  Baptist  minister  in  Spain.  One  is  a  public 
school  teacher  here  in  Kristinehamn.  In  1872  I  joined  the  Baptists,  and  for  several 
years  labored  among  them  at  Gutenberg,  Jonk  'ping,  and  Kristinehamn.  But  the 
leading  men  among  the  Baptists  in  Stockholm  did  not  approve  of  my  more  liberal 


56  A   WIND   FROM   THE   HOLY   SPIRIT 

position  and  labors,  and  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  remain  among  the  Baptists.  In 
1880  I  united  with  the  Free  Mission  church  in  Kristinehamn,  and  the  church  called 
me  as  its  pastor.  In  September,  1882,  I  was  called  as  a  regular  teacher  in  the  Mission 
theological  school  here,  but  as  the  church  was  unable  to  procure  another  pastor  I 
continued  to  serve  as  such  until  March  last,  when  I  gave  over  the  work  to  another 
brother  called  by  the  church. 

My  religious  experiences  I  will  explain  separately.  When  as  a  child  I  was  sickly, 
and  early  compelled  to  labor  hard,  I  could  not  join  in  the  wantonness  so  common  among 
those  of  my  own  age.  By  reading  the  Bible  my  mind  had  likewise  been  trained 
towards  sober  things.  When  I  was  eleven  years  old  I  experienced  the  first  searching 
call,  so  that  I  was  fully  conscious  of  my  lost  state  ;  but  at  that  time  there  was  no  one 
with  whom  I  could  speak  on  such  subjects.  Although  there  were  nearly  five  thousand 
people  in  the  parish,  I  am  certain  that  at  that  time  there  was  not  one  known  as  a 
living  Christian.  I  felt  myself  lost,  but  did  not  understand  the  grace  of  the  gospel. 
I  labored  to  build  up  my  own  righteousness  by  reading,  prayer,  and  a  Christian  life. 
I  did  not  succeed  and  came  to  despair.  Often  I  tried  to  drive  it  all  away,  but  in  vain. 
My  sorrow  was  often  so  great  that  I  thought  of  killing  myself.  For  six  long  years  I 
remained  in  this  awful  slavery  under  the  law,  and  fully  experienced  that  "as  many  as 
are  of  the  works  of  the  law  are  under  the  curse."  At  last,  during  the  second  term 
of  my  studies  at  the  high  school,  I  experienced  the  grace  of  God  in  Christ.  It  was 
especially  1  John  1  :  7-9,  that  set  me  free.  I  felt  that  I  was  saved  through  grace.  It 
was  two  years  later,  however,  during  which  I  passed  through  some  dark  experiences, 
before  I  was  confident  of  having  been  fully  received  as  a  child  of  God. 

When  I  was  twenty-one  years  old  some  believing  friends  in  Westeras  requested  me 
to  read  the  Bible  privately  to  them  and  try  to  explain  it  in  my  own  words.  Re- 
luctantly I  yielded.  During  the  next  year,  as  spare  time  from  my  studies  allowed,  I 
began  to  go  from  house  to  house  in  the  neighborhood  and  speak  to  the  people  about 
their  salvation.  One  day  I  was  at  the  house  of  a  believing  friend,  where  many  people 
had  come  together.  I  was  requested  to  read  a  chapter  in  the  Bible  and  say  a  few 
words  to  those  present  regarding  the  necessity  of  returning  to  the  Lord.  I  did  so. 
This  was  my  first  public  sermon,  for  the  addresses  I  had  made  before  in  Westeras  had 
been  to  a  private  circle  of  believing  friends.  Having  once  begun  to  speak  publicly  I 
was  compelled  to  continue.  At  that  time  many  began  to  thirst  after  the  Word  of  God, 
but  there  was  a  great  scarcity  of  ministers.  From  that  time  (beginning  of  1862)  I 
have,  so  much  as  circumstances  have  allowed,  labored  as  a  people's  minister,  not  only 
in  the  places  where  I  lived,  but  also  in  several  places  in  the  country.  As  in  my  youth 
I  was  instructor  of  children  in  a  priest's  house  [i.e.,  Lutheran  State  church  pastor],  I 
had  an  opportunity  to  learn  their  conduct  of  church  matters.  When  I  had  experienced 
spiritual  life  I  saw  that  the  ministers  and  the  church  were  the  greatest  obstacles  to  the 
salvation  of  the  people.  But  I  was  in  hope  that  the  church  might  yet  get  faithful 
preachers  and  thus  be  reformed.  This  was  the  anticipation  of  all  the  believers  at  that 
time.  Therefore  I  prepared  myself  zealously  for  my  ministerial  office.  I  was  much 
troubled  to  know  how  I  should  be  able  to  reconcile  the  State  church  theories  with  the 
Word  of  God,  and  sometimes  made  use  of  expressions  which  to  my  friends  seemed  very 
much  like  "dissenting,"  and  about  which  they  were  much  frightened.  But  as  I 
could  not  come  to  any  decided  understanding  on  these  points,  I  remained  yet  on  the 
whole  somewhat  "  State-churchly  minded."  About  that  time  (1863  and  1864)  I  made 
my  first  acquaintance  with  a  Christian  congregation  who  had  separated  themselves 
from  the  State  church,  but  I  was  then  much  afraid  of  them  and  considered  them  as 
gone  astray.  They  were  of  two  kinds,  Baptists  and  Free  [i.e.,  Mission — Ed.]  church. 
A  few  Baptists  had  risen  in  this  country  about  1850.  In  1852  a  priest,  A.  Wiberg,  left 
the  State  church,  was  baptized,  and  joined  the  Baptists,  and  they  have  steadily  in- 
creased ever  since.     The  first  Free  church  I  learned  to  know  was  organized  about 


IN   SWEDEN   AND   NORWAY.  57 

1858,  when  a  Lutheran  priest  in  Waksala  parish,  near  Upsala,  took  farewell  of  the 
State  church  service  and  became  the  leader  of  a  small  church  of  believers.  The  name 
of  this  priest  was  Sparrman,  and  he  has,  notwithstanding  all  obstacles,  labored  faith- 
fully for  evangelical  church  order;  and  now,  in  his  old  age,  he  lives  to  see  the  day 
when  the  Free  church  movement  is  victorious  and  spreading  throughout  the  land. 

After  I  had  become  priest  I  labored  much  for  the  organization  of  true  churches 
within  the  State  church,  but  at  first  I  would  not  listen  to  any  further  separation.  But 
when  I  found  that  many  Christians  could  not,  without  violating  their  consciences,  com- 
mune in  the  State  churches,  I  offered  to  meet  them  privately,  if  they  desired,  to  ad- 
minister the  Lord's  Supper.  This  they  assented  to  with  joy.  Oftentimes  during  the 
years  1867-69  I  thus  privately  ministered  to  the  "weak  ones,"  as  I  then  called 
them.  But  in  the  summer  of  1870  I  became  like  unto  them  in  that  I  could  not  com- 
mune in  the  State  church.  I  then  confessed  openly  and  gathered  the  believers  openly 
to  celebrate  the  Lord's  memory.  As  early  as  1867  I  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
baptism  of  children  had  no  authority  in  the  Word  of  God.  Although  it  was  a  great  trial 
to  me  to  be  compelled  in  the  State  church  to  baptize  children,  yet  I  was  not  ripe  to  leave 
my  priestly  office.  When  I  likewise  must  now  deny  the  right  of  believers  to  partake  with 
the  world  in  the  communion,  my  situation  became  unbearable,  and  with  joy  I  accepted 
the  call  from  Kristinehamn  to  start  the  Mission  school  there.  I  was  not  only  to  teach 
school  but  also  to  preach  to  the  faithful  ones  in  Nerike,  Wermland,  and  Westmanland 
who  had  withdrawn  from  the  communion  of  the  State  church  but  had  not  yet  alto- 
gether left  that  church.  In  Nerike  a  minister,  Mr.  Muntzing,  had  already  for  some 
time  served  several  groups  of  such  Christians,  but  he  had  died  and  afterward  it  was 
difficult  to  get  a  minister  to  serve  them. 

During  1871  and  the  first  part  of  1872  the  number  of  these  small  churches  which 
I  served  grew  to  about  seventy-one.  In  some  of  them  the  membership  was  only  from 
five  to  ten ;  in  others  fifty  or  sixty.  On  the  average  there  were  about  twenty  in  each 
church.  I  advised  them  to  adopt  rules  for  church  order  and  to  choose  elders,  which 
they  afterward  did.  These  elders  were  set  apart  by  prayer  and  the  laying  on  of 
hands.  By  my  advice  these  elders  began  to  serve  the  communion,  so  that  it  was  not 
necessary  to  solicit  a  priest.  Before  this — fifteen  or  twenty  years  earlier — a  Free  church 
movement  had  arisen  in  Skane,  as  also  the  Free  church  in  Upsala  (organized  by  Mr. 
Sparrman  as  previously  related),  but  the  time  had  not  yet  come  for  us  to  imitate  suc- 
cessfully their  example.  But  there  now  were  many  Christians  in  most  all  parts  of  the 
land  ripe  for  this  cause,  so  that  the  example  set  in  Wermland  and  Nerike  gained  more 
and  more  followers,  and  every  day  this  movement  embraced  a  wider  district.  As  I 
was  compelled  on  account  of  my  convictions  to  be  baptized  [i.e.,  by  immersion — Ed.], 
and  as  this  could  not  be  done  at  that  time  without  being  separated  from  the  so-called 
"Lord's  Supper  Societies,"  who  considered  it  a  dangerous  delusion,  I  had  to  join  the 
Baptists.  What  I  there  experienced  it  is  not  necessary  to  state,  except  that  the  Baptist 
Society  became  more  and  more  narrow  for  me,  while  the  Free  churches  grew  tolerat- 
ing ;  so  that  at  last,  about  1879-80,  the  latter  began  to  receive  into  their  member- 
ship such  as  had  been  baptized  [i.e.,  immersed,  as  I  suppose  the  writer  means — Ed.], 
and  retained  such  baptized  [i.e.,  immersed]  believers  as  desired  to  remain  among  them. 
Thus  when  I  was  banished  from  the  Baptists  (I  was  not  given  time  to  become  properly 
excluded),  I  was  welcomed  most  fraternally  by  the  Free  church  here  in  Kristinehamn, 
and  was  soon  chosen  by  the  Free  churches  of  the  country  to  become  teacher  at  their 
school  at  this  place. 

What  I  have  said  before  I  repeat,  that  the  Free  church  movement  in  Sweden  is  a 
people's  movement.  No  special  person  has  begun  or  become  the  leader  of  this  move- 
ment. It  has  progressed  uninterruptedly,  under  the  guidanoe  of  God's  Spirit.  At  its 
first  appearance  and  during  its  spreading  I  have  been  permitted  to  serve  it. 

A  layman,  Mr.  C.  J.  Nyvall,  has  labored  powerfully  toward  the  spread  of  this  move- 


58  A   WIND   FROM   THE  HOLY   SPIRIT 

nient.  No  human  instrument  has  labored  so  much  for  it  as  he.  It  is  a  pity  I  have 
not  the  opportunity  of  meeting  him  now,  so  that  I  could  get  a  history  of  his  services. 
He  lives  at  a  distance  from  here,  and  is  now  preparing  to  visit  America.  I  hope  he 
will  visit  you,  but  it  will  probably  be  too  late  to  be  of  any  service  to  you  in  giving  a 
report  regarding  our  Free  churches. 

Respecting  the  religious  persecution  in  Sweden  during  the  last  twenty-five  years,  I 
have  endeavored  to  find  for  you  some  publications,  but  am  not  likely  to  succeed.  I 
cannot  myself  write  a  complete  history  of  it,  as  it  would  make  a  large  book  and  re- 
quire many  years  of  searching  in  newspapers  and  court  reports.  If  I  succeed  in  finding 
any  such  history  I  will  forward  to  you  as  soon  as  possible.  I  will,  next  Tuesday,  for- 
ward you  some  newspapers  reporting  such  persecutions  as  just  now  exist. 

It  was  a  joy  to  us  to  be  discovered  by  you  last  spring,  and  through  you  to  become 
associated  with  our  brethren  in  the  great  free  republic  on  the  other  side  the  Atlantic. 
We  have  yet  more  Free  churches  to  be  discovered  in  the  Old  World's  northern  lands. 
This  summer  I  have  been  in  the  borders  of  Finland.  There  the  Free  movement  is  in 
full  force.  Finland  is  now  open  for  the  gospel.  It  is  a  pity  the  laborers  are  so  few  ! 
Among  the  Swedish-speaking  population  there  are  Free  churches  in  Helsingfors, 
Kotka,  Abo,  Jakobstad,  Mariehamn  in  Aland,  and  also  a  few  parishes  in  the  country. 
Our  missionaries  have  been  the  means  of  organizing  these  churches.  Even  in  Russia 
there  are  Free  churches  among  the  Swedes  in  St.  Petersburg  and  Kronstadt.  I  hope 
you  will  soon  come  here  again  to  finish  your  discoveries,  and  at  that  time  visit  also 
Finland  and  Russia.  I  am  very  glad  that  you  went  to  Kristiania  and  was  able  to  pro- 
cure for  that  congregation  the  so-much-needed  aid  [i.e.,  the  contribution  from  the 
American  Home  Missionary  Society  meeting  at  Saratoga— Ed.].  I  know  that  church, 
because  I  was  present  when  it  wps  organized. 

The  blessing  of  God  be  upon  all  his  people  ! 

Yours  in  the  fellowship  of  the  Lord, 

Andreas  Fernholm. 


Letter  from  Dr.  "Waldenstrom. 

Gefle,  Sweden,  August  2,  1884. 
Rev.  M.  W.  Montgomery, 

Dear  Brother  in  the  Lord  :  Your  letter  requires  an  account  which  is  quite  difficult, 
and  I  can  answer  it  only  in  part ;  but  shall  do  so  as  far  as  I  can. 

I  was  born,  July  20,  1838,  in  Lulea,  a  city  in  the  northern  part  of  Sweden,  where 
my  father  was  a  physician  (died  1870).  My  mother  was  a  merchant's  daughter.  My 
father  was  a  very  severe  man,  but  my  mother  was  mild,  yet  serious.  After  having 
graduated  at  the  high  school,  in  1857,  I  devoted  my  studies  towards  the  ministry  ;  be- 
came assistant  teacher  in  the  high  school  at  Wexjo  in  1862,  and  received  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Philosophy  in  1863  ;  became  professor  at  the  high  school  in  Unea  in  1864, 
and  at  the  Gefle  high  school  in  1S74,  which  place  I  still  hold.  My  department  is  to 
instruct  in  theology.  I  was  ordained  in  1864  ;  after  that  I  made  two  attempts  to  leave 
the  schools  and  enter  the  service  of  the  Lutheran  church  [that  is,  as  pastor — Tr.],  but 
without  success.     Resigned  the  ministerial  office  in  1882. J 

I  was  converted  in  1858.  The  external  cause  was  quite  singular.  Our  parents 
taught  us  that  to  speak  the  truth  always  was  of  great  importance,  and  I  do  not  remem- 

1  That  is,  he  resigned  the  office  of  minister  so  far  as  its  authority  came  from  the 
State  church ;  he  gave  up  his  official  ordination  by  the  State  church,  that  he  might 
not  be  subject  to  the  restrictions,  warnings,  and  persecutions  of  the  ecclesiastical  offi- 
cials of  the  State  church,  but  enjoy  the  freedom  of  the  preachers  in  the  Free  churches. 
— Tr. 


IN   SWEDEN   AND   NORWAY.  59 

ber  of  having  told  more  than  three  falsehoods  before  rny  conversion.  One  of  these 
untruths  was  confessed  immediately,  the  other  two  were  hidden.  In  1849  I  told  a 
falsehood  to  a  cousin  in  my  father's  house.  I  had  once  taken  butter  with  my  finger, 
and  on  being  questioned  thereupon,  replied  that  I  had  taken  it  with  a  table-knife. 
This  falsehood  lay  heavy  on  my  conscience  for  eight  years.  My  impression  was  that  I 
had  sinned  in  telling  this  lie,  but  again  I  thought  it  ridiculous  to  confess  such  a  little 
falsehood.  However,  I  confessed  in  the  fall  of  1857  as  I,  after  having  made  a  visit  to 
my  parents,  stood  ready  to  leave  and  accept  a  position  as  a  private  teacher  for  the  chil- 
dren of  a  governor  in  the  southern  part  of  Sweden.  When  I  confessed  the  fault  to 
my  cousin,  who  was  then  married  in  Lulea,  my  aunt,  a  Christian,  was  present  ;  she  un- 
derstood that  God  was  working  upon  my  heart,  and  promised  me  then  a  Bible,  which 
she  shortly  after  sent  me.  Now  I  began  to  read  the  Bible,  though  without  any  earnest 
desire.  Nay,  I  had  heard  that  it  was  written  in  the  Bible  that  Cain  and  Abel  departed 
to  a  strange  country  and  were  married,  and  I  wanted  to  know  where  it  was  so  written. 
I  had  to  read  through  the  whole  Bible.  That  which  I  searched  for  I  found  not,  but 
that  which  I  did  not  seek  for  I  found,  viz. :  life  in  God. 

Afterwards  I  became  acquainted  with  other  Christians,  and  I  was  now  a  new  creature. 
This  change  created  a  consternation  in  the  governor's  house.  I  was  much  liked  as  an 
"  accomplished,  beloved,"  worldly  young  man.  Now  our  friendship  was  broken. 
After  making  several  attempts  to  bring  me  back  to  the  world,  the  governor  commanded 
me  to  break  off  all  intercourse  with  my  new  friends,  and  threatened  me  that  if  I  did 
not  obey  he  would  send  me  with  the  criminal  transport  which  "  went  from  prison  to 
prison  "  until  I  reached  my  native  city  Lulea,  a  distance  of  about  nine  hundred  English 
miles.1  I  replied  to  the  governor  that  if  he  could  accuse  my  friends  of  any  sin, 
then  I  would  immediately  obey  ;  but  that  if  he  could  not  accuse  them  of  anything  ex- 
cept that  they  believed  on  Christ,  then  I  would  not  obey  his  command ;  that  would  be  to 
disobey  the  Lord.  Now  his  anger  burst  out  so  that  he  violently  drove  me  from  his 
house,  commanding  me  to  immediately  remove  my  things  ;  and  unless  I  did  so,  he  would 
throw  them  into  the  street.  Without  an  opportunity  for  taking  farewell  of  any  in  the 
house  except  the  governor's  servant,  who  stood  in  the  vestibule  pale  from  fear,  I  rushed 
out  of  the  house. 

As  soon  as  I  was  converted  I  wrote  to  my  mother,  expressing  my  joy ;  at  the  same 
time  confessing  the  third  of  the  above-named  falsehoods,  which  was  then  at  least  ten 
years  old,  and  my  mother  had  forgotten  all  about  it.  The  account  of  my  conversion 
troubled  my  parents,  but  the  confession  of  the  old  lie  did  them  good.  When  I  was 
driven  away  from  the  governor's  house,  their  anxiety  for  me  was  increased,  and  I  was 
summoned  home  by  telegraph.  Now  followed,  while  at  home,  a  time  full  of  God's 
wonderful  help.  My  parents  and  I  could  not  understand  each  other.  The  following 
years  brought  many  trials,  but  also  many  evidences  of  faithfulness.  My  mother  died, 
believing  in  Christ,  in  the  beginning  of  1862.  The  following  summer  my  father  be- 
came so  disgusted  with  me  that  he  bade  me  farewell  forever.  I  became  very  sad  over 
his  letter,  but  answered  it  immediately  that  although  nothing  on  earth  was  dearer  to 
me  than  my  home,  I  would  rather  leave  it  than  Christ,  and  I  thanked  him  for  all  the 
help  he  had  bestowed  upon  me,  and  also  bade  him  my  farewell.  I  then  had  in  mind  to 
change  my  name.  However,  my  letter  touched  his  heart  to  its  depth.  He  answered, 
and  said  that  he  had  believed  that  my  religion  was  nothing  but  pride  and  obstinacy, 
etc. ,  but  now  when  he  saw  I  was  in  earnest  he  became  contented  ;  and  from  that  time 
there  was  an  intimate  relation  between  us.     My  father  loved  determination  and  hon- 

1  Criminals  under  arrest  are  sent  home  for  trial  in  charge  of  a  sheriff  and  conveyed 
from  town  to  town  by  the  public  "  transport"  service,  by  which  the  law  requires  that 
certain  citizens  in  each  place  must  furnish  conveyances  to  transport  criminals  to  the 
next  town. — Tr. 


60  A   WIND   FROM   THE  HOLY   SPIRIT 

esty,  and  hated  all  wavering  and  hypocrisy.  In  the  year  1863  I  published  my  first 
work.  The  title  was,  ' '  Adamson  the  Iron  Mill  Owner,  or  Where  art  Thou  V  "  l  It  re- 
lates that  a  landlord  by  the  name  of  Adamson,  who  lived  in  the  city  "  World,"  became 
bankrupt  and  moved  to  the  city  "  Gospel,"  where  his  name  was  changed  to  Abraham- 
son.  After  having  lived  there  a  while  he  moved  to  the  city  '•  Self  -righteousness," 
where  he  changed  his  name  to  Agarson.  There  he  established  a  factory,  but  became 
again  bankrupt  and  moved  back  again  to  the  city  "  Gospel,"  until  he  was  called  by  the 
King  Justus  Almighty  to  the  city  "  Holiness."  This  volume  created  much  attention, 
won  a  large  circulation  in  four  editions,  and  also  became  a  subject  for  slander  in  several 
periodicals.  From  now  my  time  was  limited  to  school-teaching,  to  studying,  and  to 
composing  a  few  songs  (which  were  sent  to  a  religious  paper),  and  to  preaching.  I 
commenced  to  preach  in  1858,  when  I  visited  the  public  poor-house,  to  read  and  pray 
with  the  poor.  This  happened  during  the  time  I  was  at  the  governor's  house  before 
named,  but  it  continued  only  a  short  time,  the  pastor  in  the  city  forbidding  me  admis- 
sion to  the  poor-house.  When  I  rang  the  bell  the  door  was  not  opened.  My  public 
preaching  began  on  New  Year's  day,  1859,  in  the  cottages  in  the  country  around  Upsala, 
but  I  entered  a  pulpit  for  the  first  time  in  1862.  Since  1842  a  religious  journal  has 
been  printed  in  Sweden  (first  monthly,  afterwards  quarterly)  called  the  Pietist.  It 
was  edited  by  Rev.  C.  O.  Rosenius,  a  very  godly  man,  who  has  had  an  extraordinary 
influence  upon  the  religious  movement  in  our  land.  I  learned  to  know  him  in  1859, 
and  we  were  after  that  intimate  friends.  He  died  in  1868.  The  editorship  of  his 
journal  was  assigned  to  me.  Everything  went  smoothly  until  1872,  when  in  the  quar- 
terly for  June  I  expressed  myself  against  the  common  ideas  of  the  significance  of 
Christ's  work,  and  urged  leaving  man's  theology  and  returning  to  what  is  written  in 
the  Bible.  The  difference  may  briefly  be  stated  as  follows  :  man's  theology  makes 
God  the  atonement's  object,  and  mankind,  represented  by  Christ,  the  subject ;  God's 
Word  makes  mankind  the  atonement's  object,  and  God,  represented  by  Christ,  the 
subject.  Man's  theology  makes,  in  one  or  another  form,  Christ  a  keeper  or  shield  for 
man  against  God.  God's  Word  makes  Christ  a  help  given  of  God  against  sin,  death, 
and  the  devil.  The  strife  which  hereby  arose  was  begun  by  a  pastor  named  Svelinder 
who  edited  a  little  journal.  I  answered  in  another  journal,  entitled  "  Significance  of 
the  Atonement."  2 

For  years  afterwards  there  followed  a  whole  line  of  pamphlets  published  in  Sweden, 
Norway,  Finland,  Germany,  England,  and  America.  All  these  I  have  gathered  and 
bound,  making  a  library  of  thirteen  volumes,  although  these  do  not  include  an  innu- 
merable number  of  articles  in  home  and  foreign  journals.  A  journal  is  published  at 
present  in  our  land,  edited  by  Mr.  Elander,  which  is  almost  wholly  directed  against 
me,  as  is  shown  even  by  the  title.  As  an  evidence  of  the  manner  in  which  this  strife  is 
kept  up,  I  may  here  relate  that  Elander,  as  well  as  most  of  his  predecessors,  insists  that 
I  deny  the  divinity  of  Christ,3  a  doctrine  to  which  I  have  alicays  held  fast.  Indeed, 
Elander  goes  so  far  as  to  trample  the  truth  under  his  feet,  and  insists  also  that  I  teach 
that  Christ  does  not  intercede  for  his  disciples,  notwithstanding  that  I  have  published 
a  book  on  that  especial  subject,  viz.  :  '"Our  High  Priest's  Praver."  Hereby  you  may 
understand  how  the  strife  is  kept  up.  The  editors  know  that  the  readers  of  their 
journals  never  read  any  of  my  writings,  for  if  they  did  the  truth  would  soon  be  re- 
vealed.    Therefore  under  the  name  of  truth  they  can  falsify  as  much  as  they  please. 

Home  missions  in  our  land  have  been  carried  on  since  1850  by  a  steadily  increasing 
number  of  so-called  "  Mission  societies  "  spreading  over  the  land.4    The  principal  one 


1  Brukspatron  Adamson  eller  Hvar  ar  du  ? 

2  Om  forsoningens  betydelse.     1873. 

0  Att  jag  forneckar  Kristi  guddom  hvilken  jag  dock  alltid  fasth&llit. 
4  Missions  foreningar. 


IN   SWEDEN   AND   NORWAY.  61 

of  these  is  the  Evangelical  Fosterlands-stiftelsen,1  which  was  organized  in  1850. 
Apart  from  the  other  societies,  which  embrace  separate  provinces,  this  one  carries  on  its 
work  over  the  whole  of  our  country,  and  since  1861  has  also  carried  on  quite  extended 
foreign  missions,  and  sailors'  missions  in  foreign  seaports.  I  was  a  member  of  this 
organization  until  a  few  years  ago,  when  I  was  cast  out.  Those  who  were  known  to 
hold  like  views  with  myself  were  also  afterwards  cast  out. 

This  did  not  hinder  the  so-called  "new  false  doctrine  ""  from  being  adopted  by 
several  of  the  Stiftelsen's  missionaries,  and  also  openly  maintained  by  one  of  the 
foremost  men  in  our  country,  who  has  for  later  years  been  a  member  of  the  Stiftel- 
sen  managing  committee,  and  without  contradiction  the  leading  one  of  all  its  mem- 
bers. During  several  years  I  worked  hard  for  unity  between  Fosterlands-stiftelsen 
and  my  friends.  I  believed  to  the  uttermost  that  Stiftelsen  would  become  more 
friendly  to  the  movement,  and  many  times  at  public  meetings  when  I  expressed  this 
opinion,  a  distrustful  opinion  was  to  be  seen  in  the  countenances  of  my  friends.  At  a 
convention  held  in  Stockholm  in  1879,  the  Swedish  Mission  Union  3  was  organized.  I 
was  not  present,  nor  did  I  have  any  knowledge  thereof,  but  was  appointed  a  member 
of  the  Executive  Committee,  of  which  I  have  since  been  a  member.  The  Swedish 
Mission  Union,  like  the  Fosterlands-stiftelsen,  is  an  organization  by  itself,  and  carries 
on  both  home  and  foreign  missions. 

To  these  purely  theological  strifes  were  joined  church  strifes.  In  our  State  churches, 
the  openly  ungodly  as  well  as  the  believers  are  allowed  to  partake  in  the  communion. 
This  distressed  many  of  the  believers.  They  could  no  longer  partake  in  the  public 
communion  of  the  State  church,  but  united  and  celebrated  separately  the  Lord's  Sup- 
per. If  it  were  possible  they  would  always  have  a  Swedish  minister 4  to  serve  at  such 
a  meeting,  and  I  was  many  times  solicited.  Meanwhile  I  had  become  odious  to  the 
State  church  authorities,  and  the  meetings  had  created  quite  a  sensation.  A  society 
of  believers  at  Upsala  invited  me  to  come  there  and  serve  at  the  Lord's  Supper.  For 
this  purpose  one  of  the  State  churches  in  the  city  was  asked  for,  but  it  was  denied; 
therefore  the  communion  was  held  in  a  large  chapel,  with  closed  doors.  For  this 
reason  the  church  consistory  brought  a  suit  against  me,  with  the  result  that  I  was 
chastened  and  given  warnings.  The  Christian  believers  who  could  not  partake  in  the 
public  communion  of  the  State  church,  but  had  hitherto  tried,  as  far  as  possible,  to 
comply  with  the  church  rules  in  our  land,  so  that  they  might  if  possible  be  allowed  to 
have  a  believing  minister  to  serve  at  the  communion  table,  and  also  the  use  of  a 
church,  were  now  compelled  to  get  along  without  either  the  church  or  the  minister. 
From  this  cause  originated  the  so-called  "  Lord's  Supper  Societies."  A  petition  was 
presented  to  the  king,  asking  him  to  make  void  the  law  that  made  it  a  crime  for  God's 
believing  children  and  members  of  the  Swedish  State  church  to  unite  together,  and, 
separately  from  the  State  church,  celebrate  the  Lord's  Supper  in  accordance  with  God's 
Word.  I  presented  this  petition,  which  was  signed  by  more  than  twenty-two  thousand 
persons,  to  the  king.  The  king  sent  it  to  the  State  church  authorities,  who  expressed 
themselves  in  bitter  words  against  it.  No  answer  from  the  king  was  ever  received. 
The  Lord's  Supper  Societies  still  continued,  but  they  could  not,  of  course,  continue 
long  in  this  situation. 

Through  the  communion  meetings  the  necessity  of  organizing  churches  was  felt, 
and  thus  arose  over  the  whole  land  the  so-called  Free  churches,  as  you  already  know. 
They  are,  in  foundation  and  ground,  Congregational,5  as  you  yourself  have  seen  during 
your  visit  in  our  land. 

1  Evangelical  Native-land  Institution.  2  Nye  villfarelsen. 

3  Svenska  Missionsforbundet.  *  Svensk  prestman. 

5  Och  sa  upstado  sa  ofver  hela  landet  dessa  s.  k.  friforsamlingar,  som  Ni  redan  Kan- 
nen.  De  aro  i  grund  och  botten  congregationalistiska,  sasom  Ni  sjelf  vid  Eder  vistaler 
i  vart  land  bar  sett. 


63  A   WIND   FROM   THE   HOLY   SPIRIT 

They  have  not,  as  jet,  entirely  withdrawn  from  the  State  church.  A  singular  fact 
is  that  although  the  State  church  authorities  never  require  drunkards,  profane  swear- 
ers, atheists,  harlots,  and  such  like  to  withdraw  from  the  church,  yet  they  pour  out 
much  bitterness  on  the  above-named  believers,  because  they  do  not  withdraw.  In  so 
doing  they  seem  to  declare  that  the  State  church  is  in  such  a  condition  that  she  suffers 
less  injury  from  ungodliness  and  atheism  than  from  her  believing  members  edifying 
themselves  with  God's  Word,  prayer,  and  the  Lord's  Supper.  Most  of  the  believing 
ministers  in  the  State  church  partake  in  this  bitterness,  and  this  is  surely  most  sad. 

For  a  few  years  Rev.  E.  J.  Ekman  and  I  edited  a  journal  entitled  The  Witness, 
for  the  discussion  of  ecclesiastical  and  theological  questions.  This  ceased  to  exist. 
The  journal  Forhundet  [i.e.,  The  Union]  was  started  by  Mr.  Ekman,  and  I  wrote  eccle- 
siastical and  theological  articles,  which  were  printed  partly  in  the  Gothenburg  Weekly 
and  llemlantlsi-annch,  [i.e.,  TJie  Homeland's  Friend]  and  partly  in  the  form  of  letters, 
printed  on  the  cover  pages  of  the  Pietist.  My  time  has,  however,  more  and  more  been 
turned  from  polemic  subjects  and  concentrated  upon  instruction  and  edification.  In 
1883  I  began  a  new  version  of  the  New  Testament  with  notes.  For  twelve  to  fifteen  years 
past  I  have  expected  this  would  be  my  most  important  life  work.  (But  not  properly 
the  translation,  because  such  a  translation  has  been  expected  to  be  received,  without 
notes,  from  the  Bible  Commission  provided  for  in  our  land  over  one  hundred  years 
ago.  When  this  commission  had  published  a  translation,  it  was  at  once  found  to  be 
unsatisfactory  to  those  who  could  see  that  the  original  text  had  an  entirely  different 
meaning.  Then  I  decided  to  make  a  new  translation.)  After  having  once  begun  this 
work,  I  was  compelled  to  withdraw  from  many  other  things,  upon  which  I  had  before 
spent  much  time  and  strength.     ...  In  brotherly  love, 

P.  Waldenstrom. 


PERSECUTIONS   OF   CHRISTIANS. 
Professor  Fernholm  writes : 

As  a  contribution  to  the  history  of  the  religions  persecution  in  Sweden,  I  would 
communicate  the  following :  In  Sandsjo  parish,  in  Smaland,  there  are  a  few  believers 
that  have  joined  together  as  a  little  Free  church.  On  this  account  the  priest  has 
become  much  incensed.  He  first  endeavored  to  compel  them  to  have  their  children 
confirmed,  but  has  not  succeeded  in  that,  although  he  has  several  times  called  them 
before  the  church  council  and  overwhelmed  them  with  rude  abuse.  Neither  would 
they  suffer  their  smaller  children  to  attend  the  public  school  and  learn  the  Lutheran 
catechism  by  the  method  there  used.  They  were  willing,  however,  to  call  an  exam- 
ined public  school  teacher  and  establish  a  school  themselves,  and  let  their  children 
learn  everything  that  the  law  prescribes.  But  the  teacher  they  called  was  also  liberal 
[lit.,  "  Free-church-ly  "],  for  which  reason  the  priest  and  the  church  council  interdicted 
him  from  keeping  school  in  the  parish.  It  was  instead  resolved  to  take  the  children 
with  violence  from  the  parents  and  keep  them  in  the  common  public  school— of  course 
at  the  expense  of  the  parents.  The  law  is  such  that  this  can  be  legally  done.  The 
priest  arranged  an  auction  of  the  children,  the  lowest  bidder  to  keep  them  at  school 
and  in  the  meantime  [i.e.,  out  of  school  hours]  have  them  at  his  house.  Everybody 
in  the  parish  shuddered  over  such  violence,  however,  and  none  would  take  the  chil- 
dren from  the  parents.  Then  the  priest  called  them  in.  In  this  manner  he  takes  the 
children  from  the  parents,  to  give  them  the  church  training  that  the  parents  do  not  wish 
them  to  have.  Mark  !  77;?*  happened  in  the  month  of  July,  1884,  here  in  Sireden,  and  to 
defend  the  violence  the  priest  calls  the  parents  "  sinless."  thus  falsely  insinuating  that 
they  are  so  erroneous  that  he  is  compelled  to  the  violence.  The  cause  is  that  they  are 
Free  church  people. 


IN   SWEDEN   AND   NORWAY.  63 


FURTHER   PERSECUTIONS. 

In  1878  Mr.  C.  P.  Palmblad  published  at  Stockholm  a  pamphlet  en- 
titled "  Keligious  Persecutions  in  Sweden,"  from  which  the  following  ex- 
tracts are  taken  : 

Rev.  J.  N.  Halmgren  was  fined  100  kronors  for  holding  a  meeting  in  Wennersly 
during  morning  worship  in  the  city  church  ;  also  the  brother  who  had  opened  his 
house  for  this  meeting  was  fined  50  kronors.  A  group  of  Christians  in  Arboga,  who  had 
assembled  Christmas  morning  at  6  o'clock,  in  1863,  and  who  had  not  closed  their  meet- 
ing when  the  morning  worship  in  the  city  church  had  begun,  were  sued  and  fined  50 
kronors. 

The  religious  persecutions  in  Gotenberg  in  1863  closed  with  the  result  that  the 
judgment  of  the  court  was  enforced  by  the  writ  of  execution  issued  by  the  king's 
majesty,  August  30,  1864,  whereby  Kapten  G.  W.  Schroder  was  fined  100  kronors  be- 
cause he  had  preached  the  gospel.  Several  other  persons  were  accused,  but  escaped 
by  only  paying  the  costs  of  the  lawsuit,  which  amounted  to  almost  as  much  as  the  fines. 

In  1865  several  Baptist  ministers  were  brought  before  the  court  in  Norrland.  One 
was  fined  150  kronors,  two  were  acquitted,  and  one  was  sentenced  to  four  weeks'  im- 
prisonment in  Hernosands  jail. 

Seventeen  couples  in  the  northern  part  of  Sweden  had  not  been  married  by  a  State 
church  minister,  and  as  it  was  the  law  that  a  minister  in  the  State  church  should  of- 
ficiate at  all  marriages,  they  were  fined  and  compelled  to  be  separated. 

In  1868  Ambrosius  Erson  was  fined  93  kronors  because  he  had  preached  the  gospel 
and  baptized.  Things  in  his  own  house  were  seized  to  pay  the  fine.  A  Baptist  minis- 
ter, C.  E.  Malm,  was  about  the  same  time  fined  50  kronors  because  he  had  preached 
against  the  prohibition  of  the  church  council. 

A  Methodist  minister,  J.  Nilson,  was  fined,  in  1871,  100  kronors,  and  was  compelled, 
for  want  of  means,  to  work  out  his  fine  by  six  days  in  jail  on  water  and  bread.  His 
crime  was  that  he  had  preached  the  gospel. 

Another  minister,  in  Motala,  was  fined  100  kronors,  which  fine  was  by  the  king  re- 
duced to  50  kronors. 

A  farmer  in  Medelpad  who  could  not  conscientiously  have  his  child  sprinkled  in 
baptism  was  made  to  pay  22  kronors  to  a  sheriff  for  his  trouble  in  taking  the  child  to 
be  baptized  by  sprinkling  against  the  father's  will.  A  brother  in  Lulea  was  fined  13 
kronors  for  the  same  cause.  Another  brother  was  fined  150  kronors  because  he  had 
baptized,  and  still  another  16  for  the  same  cause. 

Although  the  most  of  those  that  read  this  pamphlet  have  through  the  newspapers  ob- 
tained knowledge  of  my  own  persecution  in  Ostergotland  in  1876,  I  will,  nevertheless, 
here  relate  it  as  follows :  After  having  preached  some  time  in  Wikbolandet,  where 
the  Lord  had  blessed  my  work  with  the  conversion  of  many  souls,  the  church  author- 
ities thought  it  was  time  to  bring  my  work  to  a  close,  because  they  saw  it  was  con- 
trary to  the  State  church  discipline.  Just  as  I  had  begun  Sabbath-school  one  Sunday 
in  April,  with  an  attendance  of  sixty  or  seventy  children,  the  church  councilors  of 
Ostra  Stenby,  Ruddby,  and  Konungsund  parishes  stepped  in  and  notified  me  that  I 
was  forbidden  to  hold  any  Sabbath-school  in  that  district.  When  they  had  left,  the 
following  conversation  arose  between  me  and  the  children  :  "Do  you  wish  me  to  speak 
to  you  about  Jesus  to-day  ?  "  Answer:  "Yes."  "But  did  you  not  hear  that  I  was 
forbidden?  Shall  I  transgress  this  commandment?"  Answer:  "Yes."  "But  if  I 
trespass  against  this  command  and  speak  to  you  about  Jesus  to-day,  it  will  cost  me  50 
kronors,  and  if  I  have  no  money  I  must  go  to  prison.  Would  you  wish  that  V"  The 
only  answer  I  received  was  the  tears  which  were  shed  from  the  children's  eyes.     I  can 


64  A   WIND   FROM   THE   HOLY   SPIETT 

never  forget  that  moment.  The  following  Sabbath  we  were  again  assembled,  when 
the  church  councilors  again  stepped  in  and  notified  me  that  I  was  forbidden  to  speak 
either  to  children  or  grown  persons.  The  same  evening  I  held  a  meeting  in  a  place 
close  by.  When  I  arrived  there  three  councilors  met  me,  each  with  a  command — 
"  Ostra  Stenby,  Ruddby,  and  Konungsund  not  to  preach."  Yet  with  the  great  neces- 
sity of  staying  there  longer  before  my  eyes,  I  felt  like  exclaiming  with  Peter  and 
John,  "We  ought  to  obey  God  rather  than  men."  After  having  disobeyed  these  com- 
mands I  was  sued  by  these  four  districts.  On  June  6th  of  the  same  year  I  was  brought 
before  the  court  at  Hockerstad  for  my  crime,  and  on  August  15th  I  was  fined  300 
kronors.  Having  no  money  with  which  to  pay  the  fine,  I  was  compelled  to  work  it 
out  in  the  jail  at  Norrkoping,  where  I  remained  fifty-one  days,  or  from  October  16, 
1876,  to  December  6th  of  the  same  year. 

My  imprisonment  was  not  severe.  The  Lord  was  with  me  and  cheered  my  heart. 
The  attendants  of  the  jail  were  all  friendly  to  me,  especially  the  overseer.  At  last  the 
longed-for  day  of  my  liberty  arrived.  The  joy  which  then  filled  my  soul  is  indescrib- 
able, and  I  felt  like  exclaiming  with  many  of  the  martyrs,  "  God  be  praised  for  all !  " 

In  1877  Rev.  R.  E.  Malm  (Baptist)  was  fined  100  kronors.  This  is  the  last  example 
of  religious  persecution  which  will  here  be  stated. 

Before  I  close  I  will  give  a  summary  of  the  foregoing  accounts  of  the  persecutions  in 
Sweden.  If  it  were  possible  for  one  man  to  be  persecuted  for  all  these  so-called  religious 
crimes,  he  would  have  been  fined  by  the  church  authorities,  for  his  belief  and  work, 
24,950  kronors  and  been  transported  by  the  sheriff  a  distance  of  about  tbree  thousand  five 
hundred  miles,  with  fifty  different  criminal  transports.  As  he  could  not  pay  all  the  fines 
he  would  be  sentenced  to  eight  hundred  and  twenty  days  in  jail  on  water  and  bread,  and 
ninety-eight  years  and  eight  months  general  imprisonment ;  and  in  addition  to  tins 
would  have  been  exiled  ten  times.  After  all  this  we  cannot  escape  from  the  thought 
that  the  Swedish  State  church  is  far  from  being  a  church  of  Christ.  Rather  she  may 
confess  with  David  :  "  My  wounds  stink  and  are  corrupt  because  of  my  foolishness." 
We  surely  have  reason  to  thank  the  Lord  for  the  religious  liberty  we  already  possess  in 
our  dear  native  land,  but  we  shall  not  be  satisfied  until  we  possess  full  freedom  to 
worship  God  in  entire  harmony  with  his  own  words  and  our  consciences.  For  that 
day  we  look  forward  with  great  joy  when  the  saying  of  the  prophet  shall  be  fulfilled : 
'•  Babylon  is  fallen,  is  fallen." 

THE   LUTHERAN   CHURCH. 

The  Lutheran  church  has  a  grand  history.  The  world  could  not  spare 
its  work  and  record.  I  would  not  on  any  account  misrepresent  her  ;  and 
if  statements  herein  criticise  her  present  condition  and  acts,  it  is  intended 
to  do  so  only  so  far  as  an  impartial  statement  of  current  facts  require.  The 
Augsburg  Confession  of  Faith,  to  which  she  holds  so  tenaciously,  was,  at 
the  time  of  its  adoption  by  the  heroic  Reformers,  a  great  step  forward  in 
the  history  of  the  church.  The  trouble  with  the  Lutheran  church  is  that 
it  is  content  to  stand  still  where  the  Augsburg  Confession  left  it,  three 
centuries  ago.  Have  three  hundred  years  of  the  study  of  the  Scriptures, 
and  of  advance  in  every  branch  of  human  knowledge  and  experience, 
thrown  no  light  upon  Biblical  exegesis  and  church  polity  ?  If  they  have, 
then  the  Lutheran  church,  in  most  respects,  shuts  out  that  light ;  looks 
backward  rather  than  forward  ;  still  gazes  toward  the  eastern  horizon  of 
the  Reformation,  refusing  to  see  that  the  sun  has  mounted  high  toward  the 
zenith.    The  Lutheran  church  claims  a  nominal  civil-ecclesiastical  member- 


IN   SWEDEN   AND   NORWAY.  65 

ship  in  the  world,  of  fifty  millions  of  people.  If  she  would  only  change  a 
very  few  of  her  doctrines  and  methods,  what  a  magnificent  work  for  the 
kingdom  of  Christ  on  the  earth  might  she  again  do  ! 

Many  earnest  Christian  pastors  and  laymen  in  the  Lutheran  church 
deeply  mourn  her  condition  and  vainly  seek  her  reformation.  In  this 
country  the  liberal  branch  of  the  church  seeks  a  deeper  religious  experience 
among  her  members,  and  favors  temperance,  and  revivals.  Some  of  the 
foremost  temperance  advocates  in  Minneapolis  are  Lutheran  pastors,  and 
it  is  doubtless  so  in  many  other  places. 

In  general  this  church  has  probably  very  large  numbers  within  its 
nominal  membership  who  have  not  been  converted  ;  does  not  insist  that 
its  pastors  shall  be  converted  men  ;  maintains  its  own  parochial  schools  ; 
teaches  the  children  the  Lutheran  catechism  ;  earnestly  seeks  to  prevent 
its  children  and  congregations  from  going  where  they  will  be  under  the  in- 
fluence of  other  religious  teaching ;  the  church  authorities  prescribe  the 
texts  from  which  the  pastors  shall  preach  for  three  years  ;  at  the  end  of  this 
time  the  pastor  must  begin  anew  and  again  preach  from  the  same  texts 
for  the  next  three  years,  and  so  on.  The  natural  results  of  formalism, 
want  of  spirituality,  and  lack  of  interest  in  missions  follow. 

LUTHERAN   DOCTRINES. 

From  the  "  Lutheran  Augsburg  Confession  of  Faith "  the  following 
extracts  are  taken  : ' 

It  is  lawful  to  use  the  sacraments  administered  by  evil  men  ;  according  to  the 
voice  of  Christ :  "The  Scribes  and  Pharisees  sit  in  Moses'  seat."  And  the  sacraments 
and  the  Word  are  effectual  by  reason  of  the  institution  and  commandment  of  Christ, 
though  they  be  delivered  by  evil  men.  They  condemn  the  Donatists  and  such  like, 
who  denied  that  it  was  lawful  to  use  the  ministry  of  evil  men  in  the  church,  and  hold 
that  the  ministry  of  evil  men  is  useless  and  without  effect. 

Of  the  Supper  of  the  Lord  they  teach  that  the  true  body  and  blood  of  Christ  are 
truly  present  under  the  form  of  bread  and  wine,  and  are  there  communicated  to  those 
that  eat  in  the  Lord's  Supper,  and  received. 

Of  baptism  they  teach  that  it  is  necessary  to  salvation.  .  .  .  They  condemn 
the  Anabaptists  who  allow  not  the  baptism  of  children  and  affirm  that  children  are 
saved  without  baptism. 

From  the  "  notes  "  in  the  same  work : 

Infants  are  ordinarily  saved  by  baptism  as  God's  ordinary  means,  bat  God  is  not 
so  bound  to  the  means  that  he  cannot  save  them  without  means.  .  .  .  Our 
church  holds  that  infants  always  required  regeneration,  were  ordinarily  saved  by 
baptism  as  the  ordinary  means,  and  that  when  deprived  of  it  their  regeneration  and 
salvation  were  extraordinary  ;  that  is,  special,  and  out  of  the  usual  order  of  God's 
arrangement.  .  .  .  It  is  no  part  of  the  faith  of  our  church  that  baptism  is  abso- 
lutely necessary  ;  that  is,  that  there  are  no  exceptions  nor  limitations  to  the  proposition  that 
unless  a  man  be  born  again,  of  water  or  baptism,  he  cannot  enter  the  kingdom  of  God. 

1  Translated,  with  notes,  by  Charles  P.  Krauth,  D.D.    Tract  and  Book  Society  of  St. 
John's  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church,  Philadelphia. 
5 


66  A   WIND   FKOM   THE  HOLT   SPIEIT 

"  Luther's  Small  Catechism  "  '  has  the  following  excellent  contents  : 
The  Ten  Commandments,  the  Apostles'  Creed,  the  Lord's  Prayer,  the 
sacraments  of  baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper ;  also  a  morning  and  an  even- 
ing prayer,  and  prayers  for  meal-time.  But  among  its  questions  and  an- 
swers we  find  these  : 

Question. — What  is  the  sacrament  of  the  altar  ? 

Answer. — It  is  the  true  body  and  blood  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  under  the 
bread  and  wine,  given  unto  us  Christians  to  eat  and  to  drink,  as  it  was  instituted-  by 
Christ  himself. 

Question. — What  gifts  or  benefits  does  baptism  convey  ? 

Answer. — It  worketh  forgiveness  of  sins,  delivers  from  death  and  the  devil,  and 
confers  everlasting  salvation  on  all  who  believe  as  the  Word  and  promise  of  God  de- 
clare. 

LITTLE  INTEREST   IN   MISSIONS. 

The  Lutheran  churches  contribute  less,  proportionably,  to  the  cause  of 
foreign  missions  than  any  other  Protestant  evangelical  denomination  in 
the  world,  as  the  following  extracts  from  Dr.  Christlieb's  "  Protestant 
'Foreign  Missions"  2  clearly  show  : 

At  the  beginning  of  our  century  the  whole  number  of  male  missionaries  employed 
by  seven  societies  was  170.  Of  these  about  100  belonged  to  the  Moravians.  To-day 
there  are  in  the  employ  of  seventy  societies  about  2,400  ordained  Europeans  and 
Americans,  hundreds  of  ordained  native  preachers  (in  the  East  Indies  alone  over 
'400,  and  about  the  same  number  in  the  South  Seas\  over  23,000  native  helpers, 
eatechists,  evangelists,  and  teachers,  not  counting  the  numerous  female  assistants, 
private  missionaries,  lay  helpers,  colporteurs  of  the  Bible  societies  in  heathen  lands, 
.  and  the  thousands  of  voluntary  unpaid  Sunday-school  teachers. 

Eighty  years  ago,  if  I  may  venture  an  estimate,  there  were  scarcely  fifty  thousand 
r converted  heathen  under  the  care  of  evangelical  missions,  not  counting  the  so  called 
"government  Christians  "  in  Ceylon,  who  so  quickly  fell  back.  To-day  we  may  con- 
fidently reckon  the  whole  number  of  native  converts  in  our  evangelical  mission  stations 
as  at  least  1,650,000.  And  the  year  1878  alone  shows  a  growth  of  more  than  the  total 
number  at  the  beginning  of  this  century,  viz.,  about  GO, 000  souls.  If  I  add  to  this 
that  of  the  present  total,  there  are  about  310,000  in  the  West  Indies  and  Madagascar, 
400,000  to  500,000  in  India  and  Farther  India,  40,000  to  50,000  in  West  Africa,  180,000 
in  South  Africa,  over  240,000  in  Madagascar,  90,000  in  the  Indian  Archipelago,  45,000 
to  50,000  in  China,  and  more  than  300,000  in  the  South  Sea  Islands,  we  see  that  a  large 
number  of  coastlands  and  especially  islands  are  Christianized,  and  may  be  counted  as 
won  for  the  Protestant  cliureh. 

Eighty  years  ago  the  entire  income  for  evangelical  foreign  missions  was  much  less 
than  $250,000  ;  to-day  the  annual  receipts  have  advanced  from  $6,000,000  to  $6,250,000 
(about  five  times  the  amount  raised  by  the  Roman  Catholic  Propaganda\  of  which  Eng- 
land furnishes  about  $3,500,000,  America  $1,750,000,  Germany  $1,250,000,  and  Swit- 
zerland from  $500,000  to  $750,000. 

Eighty  years  ago  the  total  number  of  evangelical  mission  schools  was  not  over  70 ; 
to-day  they  number  nearly  12,000,  with  more  than  400,000  scholars,   among  whom 

1  Published  by  the  Swedish  Evangelical  Lutheran  Publishing  Society,  Chicago. 
8  Protestant   Foreign    Missions,   by   Theo.    Christlieb,   D.D.,  Ph.D.,  University  at 
Bonn,  Prussia.     Congregational  Publishing  Society,  Boston. 


IN   SWEDEN   AND   NORWAY.  67 

there  are  hundreds  of  native  candidates  for  the  ministry  receiving  instruction  in  the 
high  schools  and  theological  seminaries.     .     .     . 

If  we  compare  the  success  of  particular  churches  in  proportion  to  their  size,  this 
fact  is  immediately  apparent,  which  7,  as  a  member  of  a  national  church,  may  speak  of, 
namely :  that  the  great  State  churches  are  far  outdone  by  the  smaller  independent 
churches.  Especially  is  this  the  case  in  Scotland.  The  Scottish  State  church,  although 
in  the  number  of  congregations  and  ministers  by  far  the  largest  in  Scotland,  is  greatly 
surpassed  by  the  two  principal  independent  churches,  both  in  contributions,  number 
of  stations,  and  the  like,  although  the  latter  at  the  same  time  must  also  meet  the  wants 
of  their  own  home  churches. 

Thus  in  the  State  church  each  member  pays  about  twenty-five  cents;  in  the  United 
Presbyterian  church,  from  one  dollar  to  one  dollar  and  twenty-five  cents  ;  and  the 
average  in  the  Free  church,  which  is  indeed  richer,  is  not  much  less,  ...  a  dis- 
proportion for  the  State  church  which  will  be  found  to  increase  continually.     .     .     . 

Still  more  striking  is  the  difference  when  we  compare  the  little  Moravian  church, 
with  its  twenty  thousand  grown  members  in  Europe  and  America,  .  .  .  when  we 
compare  it  and  its  contribution  of  $1.12  per  head  with  the  great  German  [Lutheran] 
State  church,  in  which,  here  and  there  (reckoning  young  and  old),  only  one-half  to 
three-quarters  of  a  cent  per  head  is  given.-  Whence  this  difference  ?  .  .  .  partly 
from  the  lukewarm,  indifferent,  and  worldly,  who  (as  a  State  church  professor  in  Edin- 
burgh recently  complained)  if  there  were  no  State  church  would  belong  to  no  church, 
because  the  kingdom  of  Christ  has  but  little  interest  for  them  in  any  case  ;  while  the 
Free  church  demands  of  each  one  becoming  a  member  a  deep  religious  interest  in  the 
church  and  her  work.  Hence  a  system  of  giving  for  the  church  and  church  work 
prevails  here,  and  there  is  a  regular  contribution  according  to  ability  (compare  espe- 
cially the  Wesleyans),  which  is  an  unheard  of  thing  in  the  State  church.  .  .  .  But 
it  is  not  a  matter  of  mere  accident  that  great  activity  in  missions  first  began  after  all 
the  rights  of  a  State  church  in  New  England  ceased.  ...  In  no  other  land  have 
missions,  like  all  other  educational  institutions,  received  such  large  gifts  from  private 
individuals  as  in  America. 

There  were  contributed  last  year  to  foreign  missions,  by  about  375,000  members  of 
the  Congregational  churches,  $511,000,  or  $1.37  per  head.     .     .     . 

According  to  the  Annual  Report  for  1879 — see  Missionary  Herald,  November,  1879, 
p.  414 — the  great  legacy  of  Asa  Otis,  of  about  $1,000,000  (p.  415),  is  not  included  [in 
the  above  exhibit  of  contributions  from  Congregationalists].     .     .     . 

If  now  from  among  the  German  missionary  societies  we  take  the  strictly  Lutheran 
and  add  to  these  the  five  northern  societies  (in  Denmark  one,  in  Norway  one,  two  in 
Sweden,  and  one  in  Finland,  the  Norwegian  society  being  nearly  equal  in  size  to  the 
other  four),  with  the  Mission  Society  of  the  Lutheran  Synod  of  the  United  States,  it  is 
a  remarkable  fact  that  to-day  there  are  only  11  Lutheran  missionary  societies,  half 
of  which  are  very  small,  and  none  of  which  belong  to  the  greatest,  having  altogether 
only  about  200  ordained  missionaries.  Against  these  there  are  55  Reformed  societies  ; 
so  that  to-day  all  the  Lutheran  missionary  societies  of  the  world  together,  in  number 
of  workers  (207),  do  not  equal  the  Church  Missionary  Society,  and  in  contributions  not 
the  third  part  (about  1,200,000  marks  to  4,000,000  marks,  or  £190,000).     .     .     . 

I  refrain  from  anything  but  a  passing  notice  of  the  causes  of  the  lack  of  interest  by 
the  Lutheran  church  in  missions. 

In  most  of  the  lands  and  provinces  of  the  State  church  the  members  have  not  been 
trained  to  give  for  purely  church  purposes. 

The  same  is  true  of  the  salutary  self-discipline  of  the  voluntary  but  regular  conse- 
cration of  a  definite  percentage  of  our  incomes  at  the  very  time  of  reception,  for  Christian 
objects,  in  which,  I  have  reason  to  believe,  lies  technically  the  secret  of  the  greater 
liberality  in  the  lands  of  English-speaking  peoples.     .     .     . 


68  A   WIND   FROM   THE   HOLY   SPIRIT 

Hence  the  following  remarkable  scale  :  In  Wurtemberg  there  are  contributed  for 
missions  per  head  for  the  Protestant  population,  five  to  six  cents ;  in  Rheinland  and 
Westphalia,  about  four  cents;  in  Bremen,  eleven  cents  ;  in  Hamburg,  Hanover,  Olden- 
burg, Schleswig-Holstein,  and  Baden,  two  cents  ;  in  the  six  eastern  provinces  of  Prus- 
sia and  in  Bavaria,  one  and  a  quarter  cent ;  in  Mecklenburg  and  Saxony  (kingdom), 
only  about  one-half  cent.  Often  the  same  variation  is  seen  in  one  and  the  same  prov- 
ince ;  in  Hanover,  for  example,  in  the  dukedom  Osnabriick,  with  an  annual  contribu- 
tion of  $28,000,  there  are  two  and  three-quarter  cents  per  head  for  the  population, 
while  in  Gottingen  dukedom  there  is  but  a  third  of  a  cent.  In  Rheinland,  from  1877 
to  1878,  for  the  Synod  of  Gladbach,  five  to  six  cents  ;  for  Elberfeld-Barmen,  four  and  a 
half  to  five  cents;  in  Aix  la-Chapelle,  only  three-quarters  to  a  cent  ;  and  in  certain 
others  even  less.  All  in  all,  we  receive  on  an  average  from  the  whole  Protestant  popu- 
lation of  Germany  and  Switzerland  only  from  one  and  three-quarters  to  two  cents 
per  head,  and  so  do  not  reach  [even  the  extremely  low — Ed.]  figures  of  the  Lutheran 
church  in  Norway  of  two  to  two  and  a  half  cents. 

THE  SWEDISH  LUTHERAN  CHURCH  VS.  THE  EVANGELICAL  ALLIANCE. 

A  few  months  ago  it  was  announced  through  all  Christendom  that  the 
meeting  of  the  World's  Evangelical  Alliance  for  1884  would  be  held  at 
Stockholm,  Sweden.  Swedish  people  generally  greatly  rejoiced ;  the 
beautiful  city  of  Stockholm  was  preparing  to  array  herself  in  gaiety  and 
"  to  have  no  night  there  ; "  Swedish  railroads  were  making  most  liberal 
arrangements  ;  King  Oscar  II.  was  highly  pleased,  and  offered  to  give  the 
Alliance  a  royal  reception  in  his  palace.  All  these  anticipations  were 
suddenly  dashed  by  the  appearance  of  the  following  remarkable  letter 
addressed  to  the  General  Conference  of  the  Evangelical  Alliance  by  the 
Lutheran  State  Church  Archbishop,  A.  N.  Sundberg,  of  Upsala,  and  signed 
also  by  eight  of  the  twelve  bishops  of  Sweden  and  by  eleven  theological 
professors  in  the  State  universities : 

1.  In  consequence  of  existing  circumstances  we,  the  undersigned,  beg  to  declare 
that  on  account  of  the  peculiar  relations  within  our  church,  especially  with  respect  to 
the  position  which  certain  dissenters  assume  toward  the  church,  we  consider  it  par- 
ticularly unseasonable  for  the  Evangelical  Alliance  at  the  present  time  to  summon  a 
general  conference  at  Stockholm.  2.  That  if  such  a  conference  should  take  place 
during  the  present  year,  we,  for  our  part,  decline  partaking  in  it.  3.  That  we  are 
sure  that  our  conviction  and  position  in  this  matter  are  those  of  a  very  large  majority 
of  the  Swedish  clergy. 

This  surprising  document  had  just  been  made  public  when  I  reached 
Stockholm,  and  the  general  indignation  against  the  Archbishop  was  deep 
and  openly  expressed.  This  discourteous  blow  so  directly  aimed  at  the 
Free  church  movement  especially  stirred  the  feelings  of  the  Free  Mission 
churches,  the  Baptists,  the  Methodists,  and  the  progressive  branch  of  the 
Lutheran  church.     The  stroke  rebounded  and  recoiled  upon  its  authors. 

The  New  York  Independent  recently  said  : 

The  church  dignitaries  of  Sweden,  who  broke  up  the  proposed  meeting  of  the 
Evangelical  Alliance  in  Sweden,  are  doing  what  they  can  to  make  the  meeting  in 
Copenhagen   a  failure.     At  least  they  will  not  have  their  own  clergy  attend  it,  and 


IN   SWEDEN   AND   NORWAY.  09 

have  appointed  a  clerical  conference  to  meet  in  Stockholm  on  the  same  days  that  the 
Alliance  meets  in  Copenhagen. 

Prominent  adhering  Lutherans  in  Sweden  gave  me  the  inside  explana- 
tion of  the  Archbishop's  letter,  in  addition  to  what  appears  upon  its  surface, 
viz. :  that  special  friends  of  the  Archbishop  made  inquiries  as  to  whether 
he  would  be  invited  to  preside  at  the  meeting  of  the  Alliance,  and  were 
informed  that  he  would  not  be,  owing  to  reputed  habits  on  his  part  which 
would  shock  the  consistency  of  a  Christian  Alliance.  Soon  afterward  the 
letter  appeared  inviting  the  Alliance  to  stay  out  of  Sweden,  lest  it  should 
give  aid  and  comfort  to  Swedish  dissenters.  Concerning  this  matter,  Ernst 
Beckman,  of  Stockholm,  and  a  son  of  one  of  the  bishops  of  Sweden,  writes 
to  the  New  York  Independent  as  follows : 

Sweden,  that  far-away  country,  thrown  up  on  the  top  of  the  globe,  has  of  late  at- 
tracted a  good  deal  of  attention.  .  .  .  Our  little  country  has  very  often  had  the 
joy  of  receiving  friendly  greetings  from  the  great  nations.  Often  has  the  brotherly 
hand  been  stretched  out,  saying,  as  it  were:  "We  know  thee  well,  thou  country  of 
Gustavus  Adolphus,  of  Linnaeus,  of  Berzelius,  of  Nordenskiold.  We  have  often  met 
thee  where  the  battle  was  waging  for  freedom  and  for  truth." 

Just  at  present,  however,  the  attention  which  Sweden  is  attracting  is  not  quite  so 
nattering ;  for  recent  occurrences  are  recalling  the  reputation  which  Sweden  has  had 
for  a  long  time  of  being  one  of  the  most  intolerant  countries  of  Europe. 

Of  late,  happily,  this  spirit  of  narrowness  has  been  very  fast  dying  out.  There  has 
been  a  greater  tendency  to  call  into  full  life  the  half-dead  letter  of  our  Constitution 
that  proclaims  unlimited  religious  liberty  ;  a  growing  willingness  among  members  of 
the  State  church  to  acknowledge  the  individual  rights  of  "  dissenters." 

And  now  comes  an  unfortunate  return  of  the  ancient  spirit,  an  unexpected  and  con- 
spicuous bursting  out  of  the  old  fire  of  intolerance  from  its  smoldering  embers.  The 
country  of  Gustavus  Adolphus,  that  shed  its  blood  so  freely  for  the  cause  of  Protestant 
freedom— not  Lutheran  alone—has,  in  a  specially  inhospitable  way,  refused  to  receive  a 
friendly  visit  of  delegates  from  that  great  Christian  institution,  the  Evangelical  Alliance. 
Sweden— no,  not  Sweden,  but  the  ruling  party  within  the  Swedish  State  church— has, 
with  complete  lack  of  international  courtesy,  pushed  aside  the  hand  proffered  in 
brotherly  love  by  representatives  of  Protestant  belief  among  "all  peoples  and  lan- 
guages"    .     .     . 

In  order  to  appreciate  the  situation,  it  may  be  well  to  call  to  mind  a  couple  of  facts 
regarding  the  Swedish  State  church.  .  .  .  With  us  it  is  claimed  that  every  child, 
even  though  born  of  dissenting  parents,  is  by  birth,  as  it  were,  a  member  of  the  Swed- 
ish State  church.  When  the  child  is  grown,  universal  custom  (not  to  put  the  fact 
more  strongly)  requires  it  to  be  confirmed  and  to  become  a  communicant  in  "  the 
church,"  though  this  membership  does  not  necessarily  involve  any  open  confession 
later  on,  or  any  questioning  about  religious  belief.  Consequently,  the  vast  majority 
of  the  Swedish  people  belong,  nominally,  to  the  State  church. 

The  Swedish  church  is  directly  governed  by  twelve  bishops,  bearing  miters  and 
crosiers,  and  on  solemn  occasions  clad  in  episcopal  vestments  resplendent  with 
gold  and  variegated  colors.  .  .  .  This  close  connection  between  Church  and 
State  exercises  a  very  decided  influence  upon  the  inner  life  of  the  church.  Suppose, 
for  instance,  that  a  king  should  be  a  man  of  openly  scandalous  life— and  we  must  admit 
that  some  of  our  rulers  have  been  men  who  certainly  would  never  have  been  received 
as  church-members  into  any  denomination  within  the  borders  of  the  United  States- 
how  could  the '  national  church  excommunicate  her  own  summits  episcopus  ?    All  the 


70  A   WIND   FROM   THE  HOLY   SPIRIT 

same,  he  would  have  the  appointing  of  her  bishops,  of  the  Minister  of  Ecclesiastical 
Affairs,  and  of  a  great  many  of  her  spiritual  officers. 

Beginning  thus  at  the  very  apex,  this  lax  habit  of  toleration  widens  as  it  descends, 
and  grows  so  strong  that  it  is  often  a  very  difficult  matter  to  get  rid  of  a  simple  clergyman 
who,  for  instance,  is  too  fond  of  the  cup,  or  who  uses  profane  language,  etc.  .  . 
Among  us,  however,  are  a  great  many  plain  people  who  cannot  appreciate  the  subtle 
reasoning  which  would  prove  that  a  church  is  stronger  and  more  useful  by  keeping 
within  its  fold,  in  full  communion,  and  with  full  voting  power,  a  multitude  of  persons 
who  take  no  real  interest  in  religious  matters,  many  of  them,  too,  by  their  lives  or  by 
their  lijis,  showing  that  they  are  opponents  to  Christianity.  Nor  are  these  plain  people 
philosophical  enough  to  understand  how  the  law  "  les  extremes  se  toucTient"  can  explain 
the  discrepancy  between  a  wonderful  tolerance  for  pronounced  irreligion  and  a  bitter 
intolerance  toward  sincere  piety  and  belief,  departing  in  some  minor  points  from  the 
doctrines  of  the  church.  So  some  of  these  simple  folk  become  dissenters,  and  leave  alto- 
gether the  communion  of  their  fathers,  their  further  connection  with  it  consisting 
chiefly  in  paying  taxes  for  her  support,  obliged  as  they  are  to  do  so  by  an  unjust  law. 

.  .  All  over  the  country  they  have  erected  their  little  meeting-houses  ;  "  prayer- 
houses  "  they  call  them.  Their  faces  are  no  longer  seen  in  our  churches  ;  they  often 
reject  our  beautiful  liturgy,  and  listen  to  their  own  preachers,  who  are  generally  lay- 
men of  inferior  education.  .  .  .  Nevertheless,  no  impartial  observer  can  deny  that 
the  movement  which  has  resulted  in  this  mass  of  semi -dissent  has  developed  a  great 
and,  in  some  respects,  a  beneficial  influence  ;  neither  could  he  deny  that  these  plain 
people  count  within  their  ranks  a  great  number  of  true  and  active  Christians.      .     .     . 

We  might  name,  I  think,  one  more  wholesome  fruit  of  this  sad  occurrence.  It  has 
shown  "  how  the  land  lies."  The  fact  that  so  many  of  the  leading  men  of  our  church 
are  actually  afraid  of  conferring,  on  our  own  soil,  with  Christian  brethren  of  other 
denominations — that  they  think  it  indispensable  to  surround  their  fold  with  a  Chinese 
wall — goes  far  to  prove  that,  in  their  own  estimation,  the  power  of  that  church  rests 
upon  foundations  sorely  sapped  by  time.  ...  A  few  more  victories  of  this  kind — 
that  is  all !  There  are  many  thinking  minds,  who,  in  reading  the  declarations  of  the 
nine  bishops  and  other  dignitaries,  heard  a  dull  sound  in  the  distance,  as  of  a  hammer 
driving  a  nail  into  a  coffin. 

MOVEMENT  TOWARDS  SEPARATISM. 

The  following  extracts  are  from  the  official  published  report  of  the 
committee  which  prepared  the  "  Suggestions  concerning  the  Order  of  the 
Churches,"  already  given: 

At  the  annual  Ministers'  Meeting  held  in  Stockholm,  August  1  to  3,  1877,  at  which 
about  seven  hundred  preachers  were  present  from  various  parts  of  Sweden,  the  follow- 
ing was  one  of  the  questions  for  discussion  :  "  What  can  and  ought  to  be  done  by  the 
friends  of  missions  toward  sending  to  the  heathen  those  men  who,  driven  by  the  love 
of  Christ,  would  gather  the  heathen  unto  him,  but  whom  the  Evangelical  Fosterlands- 
stiftelsen  '  refuses  to  send  out  because  they  cannot  in  all  points  agree  to  the  Augsburg 
Confession  withoiit  violating  their  consciences  ?" 

This  question  gave  rise  to  a  very  important  discussion.  On  the  one  side,  it  was  con- 
sidered necessary  that  the  friends  of  missions  should  take  some  steps  toward  making 
use  on  the  mission  field  of  those  who  felt  themselves  called  to  preach  the  gospel  to 
the  heathen  and  seemed  fit  for  such  a  labor,  even  if  they,  for  conscience'  sake,  could 
not  in  all  its  parts  swear  to  the  Augsburg  Confession.     On  the  other  side,  it  appeared 

'The  name  of  the  missionary  society  of  the  Lutheran  church. 


IN    SWEDEN   AND   NORWAY.  71 

that  there  was  no  desire  to  start  a  new  missionary  society  alongside  the  Stiftelsen  if 
that  society  would  compromise  by  changing  its  rules  in  this  respect. 

The  result  was  that  a  committee  was  appointed  by  the  Ministers' 
Meeting  to  consider  the  relations  of  the  Free  Mission  friends  to  the  Fos- 
terlands-stiftelsen  and  to  make  recommendations.  The  committee  consisted 
of  Eev.  Dr.  P.  Waldenstrom,  Eev.  E.  J.  Ekman,  Eev.  A.  Falk,  Eev.  Dr.  E. 
Nystrom,  Eev.  C.  J.  Nyvall,  Dr.  Axel  Beskow,  and  Mr.  Sven  Johnson. 

This  committee  met  at  Gene,  December  4,  1877,  and  continued  in  ses- 
sion during  two  days  ;  then  adjourned  to  meet  at  Orebro,  January  8,  1878, 
where  they  again  held  a  meeting  lasting  two  days.  The  minutes  of  these 
meetings,  of  which  the  following  is  an  abstract,  are  published  in  a  pamphlet : 

At  the  first  meeting  all  were  present  except  Dr.  Beskow,  and  at  the  second  meeting 
the  whole  committee  were  present.  Dr.  Waldenstrom  presided.  Rev.  C.  J.  Nyvall 
presented  twelve  articles  for  the  order  of  the  Free  churches,  which  were  read  and  dis- 
cussed. After  a  lengthy  consideration  of  the  question :  What  are  the  fundamental 
principles  of  church  order  in  harmony  with  the  Word  of  God  ?  the  committee  de- 
cided that  these  proposed  articles  should  "undergo  further  discussion  at  another  meet- 
ing, to  be  held,  if  God  will,  at  Orebro,  January  8th." 

The  committee  then  considered  measures  for  starting  a  theological 
school,  and  Mr.  Sven  Johnson  said  he  would  give  the  lot  and  1,000  kro- 
nors  (about  $1,020)  toward  such  a  school  at  Winslof  ;  and  it  was  re- 
ported that  the  Wermland  Ansgarii  Society  would  give  up  their  school  at 
Kristinehanm  for  this  purpose.  The  committee  then  voted  to  recom- 
mend to  the  coming  Free  Church  Conference  that  these  offers  be  received 
with  thanks,  and  that  two  Mission  theological  schools  be  started,  one  at 
Winslof  and  the  other  at  Kristinehamn.  The  committee  resolved  to  start 
subscription  papers  to  collect  money  for  these  objects. 

Information  was  received  that  the  Wermland  Ansgarii  Society  had 
resolved  to  petition  the  Fosterlands-stiftelsen  to  change  its  by-law  at  its 
next  annual  conference  respecting  the  questions  in  dispute.  The  committee 
voted  to  indorse  such  a  petition,  and  appointed  Eev.  E.  J.  Ekman  to  draft. 
a  letter  from  this  committee  to  the  Fosterlands-stiftelsen  to  the  same  effect, 
which  letter  should  be  reported  for  consideration  at  the  meeting  of  the 
committee  in  January.  Dr.  Waldenstrom  was  appointed  to  correspond 
with  Missionary  Moe,  who  had  been  discharged  from  the  Hermanburger 
mission,  and  learn  if  he  would  return  to  the  work  among  the  heathen  if 
supported  by  Christians  in  Sweden. 

It  was  voted  that  the  190  kronors  received  by  the  chairman  should  be 
sent  to  Eev.  Philip  Aastrup,  pastor  of  the  Moravian  church  in  Stockholm, 
for  the  heathen  missions  of  that  church. 

The  times  for  the  meeting  of  the  Free  churches  and  for  the  Ministers' 
Association  were  appointed,  and  the  committee  adjourned. 

Five  weeks  afterward,  on  January  8,  1878,  the  committee  met  at  Ore- 
bro.    Dr.  Waldenstrom  again  presided. 


72  A   WIND   FROM   THE   HOLY   SPIRIT 

Rev.  E.  J.  Ekman  presented  the  letter  which  he  had  been  appointed  to 
prepare  for  the  Fosterlands-stiftelsen.  After  making  a  few  alterations,  the 
letter  was  adopted.  Several  letters  from  committees  appointed  by  minis- 
terial associations  were  read,  respecting  a  true  and  Biblical  church  order. 
The  committee  then  continued  the  revision  of  the  twelve  articles  concern- 
ing church  order  which  were  postponed  from  the  last  meeting.  Having 
made  the  necessary  changes  in  the  original  and  in  the  Bible  texts  quoted, 
on  which  the  articles  are  founded,  they  were  adopted.  The  committee 
voted  that  it  would  be  best,  at  the  next  Free  Church  Conference,  that  only 
delegates  from  Christian  societies  should  be  allowed  to  vote,  but  that  dis- 
cussion might  be  free  to  all. 

Voted,  that  questions  for  discussion  at  the  conferences  of  the  Free 
churches  and  Free  ministers  should  be  sent  in  by  a  certain  date  pre- 
viously. 

The  following  is  the  letter  adopted  by  the  committee  as  above  re- 
corded : 

To  the  Officers  of  the  Evangelical  Fosterlands-stiftelsen,  Stockholm: 

At  the  Ministers'  Conference  in  Stockholm,  August  3,  1877,  the  undersigned  were 
appointed  a  committee  to  write  to  you  with  a  view  to  brotherly  co-operation  in  foreign 
missions  between  the  Stiftelsen  and  our  land's  Mission  friends,  who  take  a  more  free 
position  with  regard  to  the  Confession  of  Faith  of  the  Lutheran  church.  That  the 
brotherly  co-operation  which  formerly  existed  between  the  Stiftelsen  and  our  land's 
Mission  friends  has  during  recent  years  been  dangerously  disturbed  is  known  to  every 
one  acquainted  with  the  facts.  Many  have  been  the  causes.  Hand  in  hand  with  the 
spiritual  movement  of  late  years  has  been  earnest  search  of  the  Holy  Bible,  and  it  is 
believed  that  not  all  that  is  in  our  church's  Confession  of  Faith  [i.e. ,  the  Lutheran  State 
church  and  the  Augsburg  Confession— Ed.]  is  in  full  harmony  with  the  Word  of  God. 
During  this  search  our  eyes  have  been  opened  to  the  essential  fact  that  all  who  live  in 
true  fellowship  with  Christ,  although  they  may  differently  understand  various  ques- 
tions, nevertheless  are  members  of  the  same  body  and  children  in  the  same  Father's 
house,  and  should  so  look  upon  and  support  each  other  in  building  up  the  kingdom 
of  God  on  the  earth.  In  a  word,  we  are  awakened  more  than  ever  before  to  see  that 
often  under  zeal  for  orthodoxy  is  hidden  what  the  Bible  calls  strife. 

It  is  also  observed  that  the  Stiftelsen's  managers  have  taken  such  a  course  that  the 
society  not  merely  stands  still,  but  is  even  walking  backward.  It  is  seen  with  sorrow 
that  the  Stiftelsen  moves  more  and  more  in  the  direction  of  a  national  church,  for- 
getting its  great  object  that  it  was  to  be  a  bond  of  union  for  the  Free  religious  move- 
ment in  our  land.  Instead  of  gathering  the  means  to  carry  on  the  great  work,  the 
Stiftelsen  seems  to  aim  at  defending  a  certain  church  creed,  even  though  thereby  the 
society  becomes  a  stumbling-block  for  many  Christians  in  our  land  who  value  the  life 
in  God's  Son  as  of  more  importance  than  anything  else.  The  consequence  is  that  the 
Stiftelsen,  in  the  name  of  true  religion,  has  refused,  and  refuses  to  employ  in  its 
service  in  the  mission  fields  such  persons  as,  moved  by  the  love  of  Christ,  would  pro- 
claim to  their  benighted  heathen  brethren  the  unspeakable  riches  of  Christ,  but  who 
could  not,  in  all  its  parts,  swear  to  nor  bind  themselves  to  the  Augsburg  Confession. 
By  such  proceedings  the  Stiftelsen  is  exposed  to  the  suspicion  that  she  considers  it  of 
greater  importance  to  carry  the  heathen  to  a  certain  creed  than  to  carry  them  to  Jesus 
Christ,  the  sinner's  friend. 

It  is  plain  that  a  great  many  of  the  Mission  friends  in  our  land  can  no  longer  look 


IN   SWEDEN   AND   NORWAY.  73 

with  indifference  upon  such  proceedings.  Therefore  a  multitude  of  people  in  our 
land  urge  that  all  men  who  will  lead  sinners  to  Christ,  and  especially  those  who  will 
devote  themselves  to  the  foreign  service,  should  be  made  fruitful  in  the  mission  fields. 
The  field  is  large,  the  laborers  are  few,  therefore  we  ought  not  to  refuse  such. 
Should  we  not  rather  gather  all  such  as  will  carry  forth  to  the  Gentiles  the  banner  of 
the  Cross?  Let  us  leave  all  creed  differences  [lit.,  "confession  distinctions" — 
bekannelseatskildnader — Ed.],  bearing  in  mind  that  our  work  among  the  heathen  is 
not  to  plant  a  State  church  or  a  sect  there,  but  to  bring  souls  from  the  power  of  Satan 
unto  God.  To  quote  the  words  of  an  English  minister:  "  Let  us  leave  the  converted 
to  boil  down  to  sects,  to  organize  themselves  into  Methodists,  or  Baptists,  or  I  know 
not  what ;  or,  better  still,  to  show  their  teachers  a  more  excellent  way  by  forgetting  the 
names  which  are  legion,  and  only  keep  close  to  the  banner  which  is  love.  To  preach 
Christ  and  only  Christ  is  what  we  have  to  do,  and  we  may  well  leave  at  home  our  sect 
distinctions,  and  let  the  naked  mark  of  the  Cross  shine  as  the  only  adornment  on  our 
'  weapon-shield. ' " 

Before  the  Mission  friends  for  whom  we  speak  make  any  decision,  they  would 
through  us  extend  a  brotherly  hand  to  the  Evangelical  Fosterlands-stiftelsen  for  co- 
operation in  foreign  missions,  that  the  bonds  which  have  united  us  and  the  Stiftelsen 
may  not  be  entirely  broken,  or  the  clefts  made  worse,  but  rather  that  by  the  grace  of 
God  they  may  be  healed.  We  beseech  you  that  the  Stiftelsen's  by-laws  may  be  so 
changed  that  henceforth  missionaries  whose  life  is  in  Christ  and  who  are  zealous  in 
bringing  souls  to  him  may  labor  undisturbed  in  foreign  lands,  even  if  they  cannot  in  all 
particulars  adopt  [lit.,    '"swear  themselves  to  " — Ed.]  the  Augsburg  Confession. 

Trusting  that  we  shall  receive  a  brotherly  answer,  we  commit  you  and  ourselves  to 
the  grace  of  God  and  our  Savior  Jesus  Christ. 

P.  Waldenstrom.        E.  Nystrom.  Sven  Johnson. 

A.  Falk.  C.  J.  Nyvall.         Axel  Beskow. 

E.  J.  Ekman. 

During  the  same  month  in  which  the  above  letter  was  sent  (January, 
1878)  the  Fosterlands-stiftelsen  held  a  meeting,  at  which  this  letter  was 
read  and  a  committee  appointed  to  prepare  a  reply,  from  which  the  follow- 
ing is  an  extract  : 

In  order  to  reach  the  great  mission  object  of  Stiftelsen,  it  is  certainly  needed  that 
all  evangelical  forces  should  labor  unitedly,  and  Stiftelsen  has  on  that  account 
endeavored  to  unite  as  many  as  possible,  but  thereby  it  has  not  been  taught  that 
Stiftelsen  could  be  so  loose  as  to  unite  all  who  favor  the  Free  religious  movement  in 
our  land,  as  in  your  letter  it  seems  to  be  taken  for  granted  that  it  should,  but  only 
those  Mission  friends  who  believe  in  the  Lutheran  Confession  [i.e. ,  Augsburg — Ed.]. 
This  limit  has  not  resulted  from  overlooking  the  truth  that  all  believers  are  "members 
of  the  same  body  and  children  of  the  same  fatherhood." 

It  is  precious  to  be  allowed,  in  personal  association  with  each  other,  to  look  upon 
each  other  as  such,  although  differing  in  doctrine  on  questions  of  minor  importance. 
But  when  it  regards  the  carrying  out  of  real  labor  for  the  sake  of  missions  and  order- 
ing co-operation  for  such  purpose,  then  the  situation  might  be  somewhat  different.  In 
such  instances  we  continually  meet  with  subjects  that  easily  bring  forth  divisions.  It 
would  be  desirable  if  this  never  need  to  occur.  But  experience  shows  that  under  the 
present  religioxis  life  among  us,  anything  else  cannot  be  expected.  Therefore  it  seems 
best  for  God's  kingdom  not  to  endeavor  to  unite  together  too  many  elements  within 
the  same  field  of  labor. 

At  the  Conference  of  the  Free  churches  held  in  Stockholm,  June  12-14, 
1878,  it  was  resolved,  at  a  special  meeting  of  the  authorized  delegates, 


74  A   WIND   FROM   THE  HOLY   SPIRIT 

sixty-six  in  number,  from  the  Christian  churches  and  Mission  societies  in 
the  land,  to  accept  with  brotherly  gratitude  the  proposals  for  starting  two 
theological  schools,  and  that  a  committee  be  appointed  to  prepare  rules 
and  regulations  for  these  schools,  and  that  this  committee  submit  its  re- 
port to  a  conference  composed  of  delegates  to  be  chosen  by  the  Mission 
societies  and  Free  churches,  and  to  be  held  at  Stockholm  beginning  July 
31,  1878.  At  this  conference  the  committee  reported  proposed  rules,  and 
the  report  was  adopted. 

ORIGIN   OF  THE  SWEDISH  MISSION   UNION. 

The  necessity  for  some  corporate  organization  by  which  the  Mission  soci- 
eties and  churches  could  carry  on  their  mission  work  at  home  and  abroad, 
hold  property,  etc.,  became  apparent.  The  meeting  continued  its  sessions 
until  August  2d,  and  on  that  day — 

As  soon  as  the  meeting  was  opened  a  proposition  was  made  to  organize  a  Mission 
society.  This  proposition  was  not  unexpected.  Those  present  were  all  more  or  less 
prepared  for  it.  But  that  each  one  felt  deeply  what  an  important  step  was  now  under 
consideration,  was  plentifully  manifested.  It  was  an  hour  of  very  touching  significance. 
They  thought  that  it  would  at  last  become  necessary  to  form  a  new  Mission  society. 
At  the  same  time  it  had  been  the  happy  expectation  that  a  compromise  with  tbe  Stif- 
telsen  might  possibly  make  such  a  step  unnecessary.  The  feeling,  therefore,  was  some- 
what strange.  When  it  was  found  that  they  were  thwarted  in  this  hope,  it  was  necessary 
to  recognize  this  by  action.  No  one,  after  all,  had  anything  against  the  proposition. 
The  discussion  was  short.  The  resolution  to  unite  in  a  Mission  society  was  adopted. 
After  a  short  discussion  it  was  agreed  to  call  the  same  the  Svenska  Mission  Fbrbundet 
[i.e.,  "  The  Swedish  Mission  Union"]. 

A  very  deep  feeling  was  made  manifest  among  those  present  during  an  earnest  prayer 
to  God  in  which  his  blessing  was  supplicated  on  the  newly  formed  Mission  society.  To 
know  that  such  an  important  step  had  not  been  taken  in  a  careless  spirit  was,  at  such 
a  time,  of  special  benefit.  And  with  confidence  in  the  cause  it  was  possible  to  commit 
it  to  the  hand  of  the  Lord,  under  the  comforting  words :  If  God  be  for  us,  who  can 
be  against  us  ? 

A  committee  was  appointed  to  make  known  the  motive  and  aim  of  the 
Mission  society  in  the  religious  newspapers  ;  to  secure  contributions  for 
home  and  foreign  missions  ;  to  manage  the  finances  of  the  proposed  schools  ; 
to  receive  applications  from  Mission  societies  and  churches  for  admission 
to  the  new  society — the  Mission  Union — and  to  submit,  at  the  open  meeting 
of  the  Mission  churches  and  societies,  next  year,  a  draft  of  rules  and  regu- 
lations for  the  Mission  Union,  etc. 

From  the  notice  which  this  committee  published  we  extract  the  follow- 
ing : 

Delegates  from  several  Mission  societies  and  Christian  churches  in  Sweden,  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord  and  in  reliance  upon  him,  have  united  in  forming  a  Mission  society, 
called  the  "Swedish  Mission  Union."     .     .     . 

May  this  Mission  Union  be  and  remain  a  medium  for  gathering  around  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ !     May  its  only  and  great  aim  be,  free  from  all  party  spirit,  to  bring  sin- 


IN   SWEDEN   AND   NORWAY.  75 

ners  to  a  knowledge  of  truth  and  salvation  !  May  the  Mission  friends  of  Sweden,  in 
peace  and  union,  labor  for  this  end  while  the  day  is  at  hand,  for  the  night  cometh  when 
no  man  can  work  !     "Our  help  cometii  from  the  Lord."     "If  God  be  for  us, 

WHO  CAN  BE  AGAINST  US  V  " 

Among  the  rules  of  the  Mission  Union  are  the  following : 

Each  Mission  society  or  church,  being  a  member  of  the  Mission  Union,  has  a  right  to 
send  to  the  annual  meeting  a  delegate  to  take  part  in  the  consultations  and  resolutions 
adopted  regarding  the  affairs  of  the  Mission  Union.  Should  a  Mission  society  have  two 
hundred  or  more  members,  it  has  a  right  to  send  two  delegates. 

All  business  before  the  yearly  meeting  shall  be  decided  by  a  majority  vote  and  each 
delegate  shall  have  one  vote.  Should  a  vote  be  a  tie,  a  new  vote  shall  be  taken ; 
should  that  result  in  the  same  manner,  the  motion  shall  be  considered  lost,  and  can- 
not again  be  considered  before  the  next  annual  meeting. 

If  any  accusation  against  any  Mission  church  or  society  belonging  to  the  Mission 
Union  be  submitted  to  this  committee,  such  accusation  shall,  by  the  committee,  again 
be  submitted  to  the  delegates  at  the  annual  meeting,  which  delegates  shall  agree  upon 
the  action  to  be  taken  upon  such  accusation. 

RULES   OF  THE    MISSION    SCHOOLS. 

Accepted  by  the  delegates  at  the  meeting  in  Stockholm,  July  2,  1879. 

1.  The  object  of  the  schools  shall  be  to  provide  free  education  for  persons  willing 
and  suitable,  either  at  home  or  in  the  heathen  world,  to  preach  Christ  as  he  is  given 
unto  us  by  God,  for  wisdom  and  righteousness  and  sanctification  and  redemption. 

2.  A  superintending  committee  of  three  delegates  and  two  substitutes  for  each 
school  shall  be  appointed  by  the  Mission  Union  at  their  annual  meeting. 

3.  The  schools  shall  be  managed  by  a  principal  and  sufficient  corps  of  teachers,  ap^ 
pointed  for  each  school  for  that  purpose.  The  principal,  as  well  as  the  teachers,  shall, 
in  case  of  discharge,  be  entitled  to  six  months'  notice,  counted  from  the  annual  meeting. 

4.  If  during  the  time  between  the  annual  meetings  the  principal  or  teachers  leave, 
or  should  it  be  found  necessary  to  appoint  special  teachers,  the  Mission  Union  Com- 
mittee, after  having  consulted  the  managers  of  the  school,  shall  appoint  suitable  per- 
sons to  supply  the  need,  but  such  appointments  shall  hold  good  only  to  the  next 
annual  meeting  of  the  Mission  Union. 

5.  When  it  shall  be  necessary  to  appoint  managers,  principal,  and  teachers  for  the 
school,  the  committee  shall  submit  its  opinions  to  the  Mission  Union. 

6.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  school  managers  to  look  with  care  after  the  schools  and 
their  teachers  and  scholars  ;  to  assist  the  teacher  by  advice  and  information,  and, 
together  with  the  teachers,  to  arrange  the  course  of  study  and  regulate  the  admission 
and  graduation  of  pupils  ;  and  to  submit  a  yearly  report  for  the  school  year,  which  report, 
together  with  that  of  the  Committee  of  the  Union,  shall  in  printed  form  be  publicly 
submitted  to  the  annual  meeting. 

7.  The  teachers  shall  endeavor  to  associate  with  the  scholars  in  love  and  respect ; 
have  a  strict  oversight  over  them  at  the  school-house  as  well  as  during  their  leisure 
hours ;  endeavor  to  ascertain  their  personal  talents  ;  and,  above  everything  else,  see 
that  the  scholars  obtain  a  sound  spiritual  growth,  and  that  their  point  of  view  be  ele- 
vated above  that  of  a  party  faction. 

8.  The  scholars  shall  manifest  all  the  honor  and  obedience  due  their  teachers  ;  en- 
deavor by  diligence  and  strict  attention  to  gather  all  the  knowledge  which  it  is  the  aim 
of  the  school  to  give  to  them ;  faithfully  observe  the  rules  of  the  school ;  take  good 
care  of  its  property  ;  always  remembering  that  they  are  learners  whom  the  school  seeks 


76  A   WIND   FROM   THE  HOLY   SPIRIT 

to  cultivate  to  become,  not  lords  over  God's  churches,  but  their  servants,  each  one  ac- 
cording to  the  special  gifts  he  has  received  from  God. 

Should  at  any  time  any  of  the  scholars  receive  requests  from  outside  the  school  to 
proclaim  the  Word  of  God,  he  shall  always,  previously  to  accepting,  obtain  the  consent 
of  the  principal. 

Should  any  of  the  students  be  deemed,  in  respect  to  talents  or  disposition,  unfit  for 
preachers,  they  shall  be  reported  by  the  principal  to  the  chairman  of  the  school 
managers,  who  shall  call  the  managers  together  to  examine  and  judge  in  the  case. '  The 
decision  of  the  matter  shall  rest  with  the  managers. 

9.  No  one  shall  be  received  into  the  school  as  a  student  who  is  not  recommended 
by  a  Mission  society  or  a  Christian  church  (one  belonging  to  the  Mission  Union  preferred) 
from  that  place  where  he  has  recently  lived,  as  one  who  lives  the  Christian  life  and 
has  gifts  to  proclaim  the  Word  of  God. 

10.  Application  for  admittance  to  any  of  the  schools  must  be  made  to  the  managers 
thereof  at  least  three  months  previous  to  the  school  year.  The  application  must  be  in 
the  handwriting  of  the  applicant,  and  contain :  1,  a  short  and  conscientious  history  of 
the  applicant's  conversion  and  growth  in  spiritual  life  ;  2,  the  recommendations  re- 
quired in  paragraph  9  ;  3,  state  whether  he  has  learned  a  trade  ;  4,  an  agreement  from 
some  Mission  society  or  Christian  church  binding  themselves  to  be  responsible  for  his 
support  while  at  school ;  ■  5,  certificate  as  to  age  from  the  minister  in  the  church  where 
he  was  a  member.     No  applicant  will  be  received  who  is  under  twenty  years  of  age. 

11.  Each  school  year  shall  begin  the  first  of  September,  unless  the  first  falls  upon  a 
holy  day,  when  it  shall  begin  the  next  week-day.  The  school  shall  continue  eight 
calendar  months,  with  thirty  hours'  instruction  each  week.  The  school  shall  be 
divided  into  two  divisions.  For  each  division  one  year  shall  be  considered  the  or- 
dinary time.  The  studies  in  both  divisions  shall  be  :  1,  Bible  instruction  ;  2,  Swedish 
language  ;  3,  history  and  geography  ;  4,  church  history  ;  5,  natural  history  ;  6, 
arithmetic  ;  7,  writing  ;  8,  composition  and  elocution.  The  managers  and  teachers  shall 
arrange  the  order  of  the  above  studies. 

BEGINNING   THE   WORK. 

These  were  important  and  busy  times  for  the  Free  Christian  churches 
and  societies  of  Sweden.  There  was  intense  activity  among  them,  and  the 
leading  ministers  and  laymen  found  demands  upon  their  time  multiplying 
beyond  their  ability  to  meet.  The  times  were  big  with  important  relig- 
ious events  and  prolific  with  new  movements  These  were  the  birth 
hours  of  one  of  the  most  important  religious  movements  of  modern  times. 

The  Mission  Free  churches  were  now  separating  in  a  more  formal  way 
from  the  State  churches.  Many  of  them  had  for  some  years  been  holding 
their  meetings  separate  from  the  national  churches,  some  of  them  had  only 
recently  begun  to  do  so,  while  in  very  many  other  places  the  Free  church 
Christians  were  agitating  the  question  of  separation.  Some  congregations 
went  eagerly  into  the  separate  movement,  others  were  halting  and  seeking 
for  light,  while  still  others  were  not  yet  prepared  to  sever  their  connection 
with  the  church  in  which  their  members  were  born,  and  in  which  they  had 
learned  the  catechism  and  been  baptized. 

1  Will  American  theological  schools  please  note  this  paragraph  ? — Tr. 

2  Will  our  churches  in  the  United  States  and  the  American  College  and  Education 
Society  please  read  this  rule  a  second  time  ? — Ed. 


IN   SWEDEN   AND   NORWAY.  77 

THE  FIRST   YEAR'S  WORK. 

In  these  circumstances  we  turn  with  special  interest  to  the  first  year's 
work  of  the  new  missionary  society — the  Mission  Union — as  its  results  are 
summarized  in  the  report  of  its  first  annual  meeting.  The  meeting 
opened  on  Wednesday,  July  2,  1879,  at  8.30  a.m.,  in  the  South  Mission 
Church  in  Stockholm,  with  an  address  of  welcome  by  the  President,  Rev. 
E.  J.  Ekman,  after  which  an  address  was  delivered  by  Rev.  Dr.  P.  Wal- 
denstrom. 

Much  routine  business  was  necessary,  but  two  questions  of  prime  im- 
portance were  discussed  at  length,  viz. : 

1.  What  does  the  Word  of  God  teach,  and  what  light  does  history  afford 
in  regard  to  the  organization  of  churches  ? 

2.  What  can  and  ought  to  be  done  to  supply  to  some  extent  the  lack 
of  ministers  ? 

The  following  reports  from  home  and  foreign  missionaries  were  re- 
ceived : 

Report  of  a  Home  Missionary  in  Sweden. 

According  to  resolutions  adopted  by  the  delegates'  meeting  of  the  Mission  Union 
annual  meeting,  July  3-4,  1879,  Rev.  Johannes  Elfstrom  and  the  candidate,  Mr.  F. 
Grufman,  were  called  as  traveling  missionaries  for  the  Mission  Union.  These  brethren 
accepted  the  call  and  began  in  the  autumn  of  that  year  to  travel  in  the  service  of 
the  Mission  Union.  The  following  places  were  visited  [here  follows  a  list  of  twenty- 
eight  places]. 

The  brother  who  visited  Norrland  relates,  among  other  things,  the  following : 
"The  Christian  societies  I  visited  in  this  place  received  me  most  heartily,  and  showed 
in  all  possible  ways  their  joy  and  gratitude  toward  the  Mission  Union  for  remembering 
them.  In  only  four  of  these  places  were  the  societies  without  their  own  houses  of  wor- 
ship. Some  of  these  societies  were  allowed  to  make  use  of  the  school-houses  for  public 
meetings,  but  these  were  too  small  to  hold  all  who  desired  to  hear  the  word  of  salvation, 
and  there  was  shown  unwillingness  to  open  the  school-houses  for  ministers  suspected  of 
confessing  the  '  Waldenstr  mian  '  doctrines.  The  greatest  desire  for  having  a  church 
of  their  own  was  manifested  in  Ljusne.  During  the  warmer  time  of  the  year  a  large 
tent  was  set  up  in  the  open  field,  under  which  gathered  the  ministers  and  as  many  of 
the  hearers  as  could  pack  themselves  together,  while  the  remainder  stood  outside  listen- 
ing. But  when  the  '  Son  of  the  North  Winds '  shook  his  snowy  wings  across  the  country 
and  icy  winds  howled,  it  was  not  possible  to  make  use  of  the  tent.  At  the  close  of  the 
day's  labor  the  people  assembled  in  a  carpenter's  shop.  Shavings  and  work-benches 
were  in  the  room  before,  and  ice-cold  rough  planks  were  carried  in  for  benches  for  the 
inpouring  people.  The  illuminations  consisted  of  a  reddish  light  from  an  open  hearth 
fire.  It  was  said  that  a  more  suitable  place  for  meeting  was  vacant  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, but  its  use  was  not  allowed  to  those  who  were  not  State  church  Christians. 
The  situation  of  these  Christians  reminded  me  of  '  those  of  whom  the  world  was  not 
worthy. ' 

"The  discourse  was  from  Ps.  32.  The  Lord  was  present  with  his  Spirit  in  a 
special  manner,  so  that  we  perceived  that  it  is  possible  to  be  happy  in  the  midst  of  the 
frowns  of  the  world.  In  nearly  all  the  places  which  I  visited,  the  Christians  (Bap- 
tists and  Methodists  excepted)  are  divided  into  two  societies,  of  which  one  embraces 
those  who  are  believers  in  what  the  State  church  people  call  the  '  new  atonement 


78  A   WIND   FROM   THE  HOLY   SPIRIT 

doctrines,'  and  who  celebrate  the  Lord's  Supper  as  far  as  possible  with  believers  only. 
The  other  disapproves  of  the  former's  atonement  doctrines,  and  communes  with  the 
State  church  people.  A  remarkable  exception  might  here  be  named.  In  one  parish 
was  found  only  one  society  of  about  three  hundred  members.  In  answer  to  my  ques- 
tion of  the  cause  of  this  joyful  as  well  as  strange  situation,  they  replied  that  '  when 
the  Lord  a  few  years  ago  blessed  us  with  a  great  revival,  the  book,  "The  Lord  is 
Righteous,"  '  had  recently  been  published,  and  nearly  all  the  new  converts  read  it 
and  found  it  to  be  good.'  "... 

THE   MISSION   LN   FINLAND. 

In  the  summer  of  1875  a  few  Mission  friends  gathered  in  Warholm  decided  to  urge 
Mr.  C.  Boye,  formerly  a  student  of  the  Mission  school,  and  who  at  that  time  resided 
among  them,  to  return  to  his  native  land,  Finland,  and  there  work  where  the  Lord 
might  direct.  And  they  declared  their  purpose,  both  with  prayer  and  means  to  sup- 
port his  work.  In  the  autumn  of  the  same  year  the  Lord  opened  a  "great  door" 
(1  Cor.  1G :  8-0)  in  Weckoski,  in  Borga  parish  of  Rylands  County,  and  neighboring 
towns,  where  Boye,  accompanied  by  J.  Forsberg,  often  visited.  During  the  revival  in 
that  region  many  souls  were  converted  through  faith  in  Christ. 

Want  of  money  compelled  them,  in  January,  187(1,  to  close  the  work  at  that  place. 
Mr.  Boye  then  began  to  travel  in  the  service  of  the  British  Bible  House,  and  Forsberg, 
in  another  distant  place,  was  compelled  to  return  to  his  former  occupation  of  school- 
teaching.  To  leave  this  field  at  that  time  was  painful,  when  so  many  had  recently 
found  peace  and  more  were  seeking  after  salvation,  and  large  numbers  were  in  a  hesi- 
tating state  of  mind. 

In  the  summer  of  1876  Mr.  Boye  visited  several  places  in  Sweden,  in  order  to  make 
known  the  needs  of  this  mission  to  the  Christian  friends,  and  the  work  in  Finland  was 
again  opened  and  the  Lord  continued  to  pour  out  his  Spirit  among  the  people.  The 
houses  in  which  they  gathered  could  not  contain  the  people  that  came  to  hear.  Then 
it  was  decided,  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  to  build  a  Mission  house,  for  which  work 
they  foresaw  a  sure  capital  in  the  Lord's  promises,  and  he  gave  also  through  the  friends 
in  Sweden  some  225  kronors,  which  put  in  the  foundation  of  the  church.  From  the 
inhabitants  in  the  vicinity  only  a  small  contribution  could  be  expected,  as  the  people 
are  very  poor ;  nevertheless,  each  one  gave  according  to  his  means.  One  gave  logs, 
another  drove  a  team,  a  third  worked.  Women  and  children  gathered  moss,  etc. 
The  same  cause  again  interrupted  the  work  until  the  following  summer,  when  the 
work  on  the  Mission  church  had  progressed  so  far  that  although  not  yet  finished,  they 
notwithstanding  gathered  there  for  the  first  time  on  Midsummer's  Evening. 

The  Mission  friends  in  Sweden,  who  several  times  before  had  given  means,  again 
showed  a  hearty  sympathy  for  this  mission.  Through  means  sent  from  Upsala  a  great 
part  of  the  debt  on  the  Mission  church  was  paid.  It  was  then  decided  that  brother 
Forsberg  should  enter  fully  into  the  mission  service  on  this  field.  Now  that  this  soci- 
ety had  their  own  missionary,  they  widened  the  field  of  labor  to  neighboring  places, 
where  also  God's  Word  was  richly  blessed.  The  work  was  conducted  by  preach- 
ing, making  family  calls,  organizing  Sabbath-schools,  and  distributing  tracts.  The 
society  has  also  translated  and  printed  into  the  Finnish  language  the  following  tracts: 
"  Salvation  for  all  Sinners  ;  "  "  You  need  to  be  Saved  ;  "  "  Yet  there  is  Room  ;  "  "I 
Stand  at  the  Door  and  Knock  ;  "  "  It  was  Done  for  You  ;  "  "  Will  you  go  to  Heaven  V  " 
Five  thousand  copies  of  each  of  these  were  printed  in  the  Finnish  language  and  some 
in  the  Swedish,  and  all  have  been  distributed  gratis.  And  besides,  some  tracts  have 
been  sent  to  the  battle-fields,  and  there  also  has  God  blessed  his  Word. 


1  Written  by  Dr.  Waldenstrom. 


IX   SWEDEN   AND   NORWAY.  79 

In  a  letter  dated  October  20,  1879,  brother  Boye  writes : 

As  you  know,  the  Lord  so  directed  that  our  dear  brother,  Lord  Radstock,  from 
England,  came  to  Helsingfors  [in  Finland]  and  preached  the  gospel  there  in  two 
churches  :  in  the  German  church  in  the  French  language,  and  in  a  large  Swedish 
church,  with  an  interpreter,  to  the  Finns ;  and  the  other  sermons  were  preached  to 
Swedes.  It  was  something  unusual  that,  after  the  sermon,  there  should  he  an  inquiry 
meeting,  and  sinners  should  from  their  seats  call  aloud  upon  the  Lord.  Lord  Rad- 
stock's  work  in  Helsingfors,  through  the  grace  of  God,  has  opened  a  wider  field  of 
labor. 

His  meetings  continued  ten  days  and  were  largely  attended.  The  Lord  doeth 
great  things.  We  departed  from  Helsingfors  to  the  country,  to  stay  one  week.  Great 
revivals  are  now  going  on  in  these  regions.  Many  people  have  assembled,  and  we  have 
during  the  past  week  preached  twice  every  day  ;  and  the  time  between  the  services  has 
mostly  been  taken  up  in  conversing  with  the  anxious.  Several  at  every  meeting  have 
fonnd  peace  with  God,  and  one  evening  more  than  ten  souls  came  to  Christ.  Pray  to 
the  Lord  for  the  young  converts  !  The  enemies  again  begin  to  roar  and  try  to  persuade 
the  people  that  it  is  forbidden  them  to  hold  meetings  in  their  own  houses,  but 
nevertheless  more  people  have  come  since  this  opposition.  "  The  Lord  is  near,"  dear 
friends.     Praise  the  Lord  with  us  for  all  that  he  has  done. 

RECEIPTS— 1878-79. 

From  the  financial  report  of  the  Mission  Union  we  extract  the  follow- 
ing : 

Kronors. 

Donations  for  Home  Missions 355. 00 

Donations  for  Foreign  Missions 7,430.96 

Donations  for  Finland  Missions 313.23 

Donations  for  Jewish  Missions 1,287.06 

Donations  for  Sailors'  Missions 153.50 

Donations  for  Mission  School  in  Kristinehamn 3,780.26 

Donations  for  undesignated  purposes 5,220.99 

Donation  for  Stranger's  Mission 315.00 

[About  $5,091.12.]  18,856.00 

LITE   QUESTIONS. 

Among  the  questions  discussed  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Mission 
Union  in  1880  were  the  following  : 

Is  it  conformable  to  the  Scriptures  that  all  believers  break  bread  together  in  re- 
membrance of  the  death  of  Jesus,  without  regard  to  differences  of  opinion  respecting 
several  doctrines  of  Christianity  ?     .     .     . 

Is  it  conformable  to  the  Scriptures  that  all  believers  on  Christ  in  a  place  unite 
themselves  as  a  Christian  local  church ;  and  if  so,  how  should  the  Christians  go 
to  work  to  effect  such  a  union  ? 

What  attitude  ought  Christians  to  take  with  regard  to  the  present  temperance 
movement,  and  ought  not  the  temperance  cause  and  other  branches  of  activity 
within  the  sphere  of  Christianity  to  be  the  business  of  the  Christian  church  ? 

At  the  annual  meeting  in  1882,  among  the  questions  were  these  : 

What  attitude  ought  Christians  to  take  with  regard  to  the  order  of  Good  Templars  ? 
What  is  the  reason  that  in  certain  places  liberal-minded  Christians,  who  are  any- 


80  A   WIND   FROM   THE  HOLY   SPIRIT 

thing  but  "  State-church-minded,"  do  not  yet  unite  with  the  existing  Free  congrega- 
tions, and  how  shall  the  hindrances  which  prevent  such  Christians  from  joining 
best  be  removed  ? 

PROGRESS. 

From  the  reports  of  the  Mission  Union  for  1883  the  following  extracts 
are  taken,  which  show  very  rapid  growth  in  the  work  and  funds : 

In  the  afternoon  the  blessing  of  God  was  invoked  for  the  brethren  Berg,  Heden- 
strom,  and  Hakansson,  whom  the  committee  yesterday  resolved  to  send  out,  the  two 
former  to  Congo,  in  Africa,  and  the  latter  to  Aland.     .      .     . 

The  Conference  received  from  the  little  church  of  believing  Swedes  in  St.  Peters- 
burg, Russia,  which  has  arisen  through  the  work  of  the  Swedish  Mission  Union  in  that 
place,  through  two  brethren,  Nejman  and  Stalberg,  a  warm  greeting  which  the  church 
has  sent  here.  It  was  a  moment  never  to  be  forgotten,  and  many  eyes  moistened 
when  these  brethren,  in  a  simple  and  hearty  manner,  presented  the  gratitude  of  the 
church  and  depicted  its  tribulations  and  sufferings,  and  when  afterward  we  united  in 
prayer  for  the  Christians  within  the  capital  of  Russia,  and  finally  joined  in  the  beauti- 
ful song:  "  Continue,  continue  to  rise,  thou  new  flood  of  grace,"  etc.  The  church  in 
St.  Petersburg  sent  as  greeting  to  Sweden,  1  Cor.  15 :  58,  and  were  greeted  in  return 
with  2  Tim.  2  :  12. 

EXPENDITURES. 

Kronors. 

For  the  Mission  School  in  Kristinehamn 9,036. 10 

For  the  Mission  in  Winslof 2,700.00 

For  furnishing  publishing  office 543.50 

For  divers  expenditures 725.29 

For  expenditures  for  the  committee '  473.65 

For  salaries  of  traveling  representatives  and  missionaries. . .  9,454.70 

For  expenditures  for  the  publication  office 3,246.29 

For  expenditures  for  meetings 233.35 

For  Foreign  Missions 2,000.00 

For  the  Mission  in  Lapland 1,240.96 

For  the  Mission  on-  Aland 189.50 

For  the  Mission  in  Finland 2,093. 58 

For  the  Mission  in  Helsingfors 800.00 

For  the  Mission  in  Kotka 1,022.74 

For  the  Mission  in  St.  Petersburg,  Russia 4,187.62 

For  the  Mission  in  Kronstadt,  Russia 1,833.00 

For  the  Mission  in  Baku 3,663.21 

For  the  Mission  in  Ural,  Russia 2,592.99 

For  the  Mission  in  Russian  Lapland 1,554.02 

For  the  Mission  in  Leukoran 580.00 

For  the  Mission  in  Congo,  Africa 3,692.78 

For  the  paper  Svenska  Missionsfvrbundet 2,537.03 

For  loan  to  missionary  at  Helsingfors 400.00 

For  loan  to  the  Prayer-house  Stock  Company,  Winslof 1,500.00 

[About  $15,201.00.]        56,300.31 


IN   SWEDEN   AND   N  OK  WAY.  81 


NEAR   ST.    PETERSBURG,    RUSSIA. 

A  Swedish  missionary  in  Kussia,  whom  I  met  at  Kristinehamn,  writes, 
June  26,  1884  : 

Kronstadt,  Russia,  is  a  seaport  town  [two  hours  by  boat  from  St.  Petersburg]  of 
considerable  size.  Among  the  population  are  four  or  five  hundred  Swedish-speak- 
ing people,  also  Finns,  Germans,  and  a  few  English  and  Estonians.  There  is  a  Lu- 
theran church,  where  service  is  held  on  alternate  Sundays  for  the  Swedes,  Finns,  and 
Estonians.  The  Germans  have  a  church  of  their  own,  and  the  English  also.  In  con- 
nection with  the  Lutheran  church  is  a  missionary,  who  holds  meetings  on  Sundays  in 
a  small  hall  for  sailors  and  others.  He  speaks  several  languages  and  is  acquainted 
with  Swedish,  but  not  sufficiently  well  to  be  able  to  preach  in  it. 

During  the  summer  the  number  of  ships  coming  into  the  harbor  is  very  great,  and 
consequently  there  is  a  wide  scope  for  Christian  work  among  the  sailors.  There  are 
sailors  belonging  to  many  different  nations,  but  by  far  the  largest  number  belong  to 
either  Norway  or  England.  About  three  years  ago  the  Stenska  Missionsfdrbundet 
opened  a  mission  station  here  for  Scandinavian  sailors,  and  work  has  been  carried  on 
among  them,  and  also  among  the  Swedish-speaking  people  in  the  town,  with  consider- 
able success,  although  from  time  to  time  there  has  been  much  opposition  from  the  pas- 
tor of  the  Swedish  church,  the  hall  having  been  closed  several  times,  but  each  time 
reopened,  although  without  permission  from  the  authorities.  However,  for  some  time 
the  pastor  has  been  friendly,  and  is  so  at  the  present  time,  so  we  hope  now  to  be  able 
to  continue  the  meetings  without  further  opposition. 

My  work  consists  chiefly  in  visiting  the  Scandinavian  ships,  distributing  tracts  to  the 
sailors,  inviting  them  to  the  hall,  etc.  We  have  meetings  on  Sundays  at  5  p.m.,  on 
Wednesdays  and  Saturdays  at  8  p.m.,  and  on  Sunday  mornings  at  10.30  we  generally 
have  a  meeting  on  board  of  some  ship.  On  Sunday  afternoons  we  hold  Sunday-school  in 
the  hall.  I  have  visited  a  few  English  ships,  and  we  hope,  if  possible,  soon  to  have  a 
meeting  at  least  once  in  the  week  for  English  sailors.  As  my  wife  is  English,  she  is 
very  anxious  to  begin  to  do  something  for  them,  and  it  is  indeed  needed,  for  there  is 
temptation  in  every  form  for  them  in  the  town,  and  at  present  not  much  is  done  for 
them.  We  are  thinking  of  trying  to  secure  the  interest  of  the  English  Congregational 
church  at  St.  Petersburg  on  their  behalf,  as  we  are  in  want  of  tracts  to  give  away  on 
board  of  the  ships,  and  we  also,  if  possible,  would  like  to  get  an  English  speaker  from 
St.  Petersburg  occasionally,  as  I  am  not  yet  sufficiently  acquainted  with  the  English  lan- 
guage to  preach  in  it.  There  is  an  English  hospital  also  in  the  town,  and  we  have  vis- 
ited it  and  got  permission  from  the  doctor  to  visit  the  patients  whenever  we  like  to  do  so. 

I  have  at  present  to  go  every  Monday  to  St.  Petersburg  to  interpret  for  the  minister 
of  the  Congregational  church,  who,  since  the  missionaries  of  the  Svenska  Missionsfdrbun- 
det have  been  forbidden  to  preach,  has  had  a  meeting  for  Swedes.  He,  at  the  request 
of  the  Swedish  missionaries,  asked  and  obtained  permission  to  preach  to  them. 

Yours  truly, 

C.  J.  Engvall. 

SWEDES  IN   RUSSIA   SEEKING   LIGHT. 

Russia,  Estland,  Hapsal,  Ntjcko,  Odensholm,  July  1,  1884. 
Rev.  M.  W.  Montgomery, 

Honored  Herr  Pastor  :  With  the  very  greatest  pleasure  have  I  read  that  letter  which 

you  wrote  to  the  brethren  in  Sweden,  and  which  has  been  published  in  the  paper 

Hemlandsvdnnen.     But  one  thing  particularly  that  appears  in  it  has  constrained  me  to 

write  to  you.     I  do  not  know  whether  you  speak  Swedish  ;  if  not,  perhaps  some  one  can 

6 


82  A   WIND   FROM   THE   HOLT   SPIRIT 

translate  it.  As  you  see,  I  do  not  live  in  Sweden,  although  I  speak  Swedish,  but  in 
Russia,  within  the  government  Estland,  which  was  once  subject  to  Sweden,  and  then, 
probably,  the  Swedes  residing  on  the  islands  moved  over  here  and  have  since  re- 
mained. During  this  time  they  have  become  mixed  with  the  native  population,  the 
Estars,  and  mixed  their  language,  so  that  it  is  no  longer  like  High  Swedish,  but  almost 
a  separate  language.  The  population  here,  Swedes  as  well  as  Estars,  are  oppressed  by 
the  German  nobility,  which  owns  all  the  land,  and  the  people  must  hire  their  land 
properties  for  high  rents,  so  that  nearly  all  are  extremely  poor  and  live  in  wretched 
hovels  such  as  I  did  not  see  one  when  last  year  I  made  a  journey  to  Sweden.  Only 
about  fifteen  years  ago  public  schools  were  founded  here  among  the  resident  Swedish 
population,  so  that  the  people  are  at  a  very  low  standpoint  as  regards  education.  Those 
who  are  older  than  twenty-five  years  do  not  know  how  to  write,  with  very  few  excep- 
tions, and  among  the  old  many  are  found  who  do  not  even  know  how  to  read.  Since  a 
couple  of  tens  of  years  ago  they  were  almost,  so  to  speak,  slaves,  and  had  to  blindly 
obey  their  landlords,  and  nothing  was  done  for  their  instruction.  The  priests  (the 
population,  Swedes  as  well  as  Estars,  are  Lutherans)  were  and  are  only  lords  over  the 
people,  but  not  examples  unto  the  flock,  so  that  not  a  glimpse  of  spiritual  life  was  seen, 
but  "darkness  covered  the  earth  and  gross  darkness  the  people."  The  people  were 
sunk  low  in  drunkenness,  etc.,  and  had  no  thought  of  the  future  life.  When  death  ap- 
proached one  would  usually  call  the  priest,  disclose  some  of  the  grossest  sins  to  him, 
ireceive  the  sacrament,  and  with  that  one  went  to  meet  eternity.  Oh,  I  shudder  when 
I  think  back  on  that  time,  of  which  I  yet  remember  so  little  ;  for  I  was  then  but  quite 
young,  only  ten  or  fifteen  years  old,  when  it  began  to  slowly  abate.  I  am  now  twentjr- 
five  years  of  age,  consequently  it  is  only  ten  years  since  then. 

In  the  summer  of  1873  two  Swedish  missionaries,  T.  E.  Thoren  and  L.  J.  Osterblom, 
and  about  a  year  later  P.  Bergsten,  came  here  to  the  Swedish  islands  and  began  to  work 
\with  perseverance  among  the  Swedes.  The  consequence  was  that  many  came  to  sober 
reflection  and  have  found  life  in  Jesus  Christ.  Since  then  a  new  period  of  time,  so  to 
:Speak,  has  begun  for  the  people.  Schools  were  founded,  and  one  of  the  missionaries 
(Thoren)  was  engaged  as  teacher  at  a  newly  established  school-teachers'  seminary, 
where  also  I  have  received  my  instruction.  From  this  school  many  male  teachers  went 
oout  who  had  become  born  again,  and  thus  the  gospel  was  spread  among  all  Swedes. 
During  the  past  ten  years  the  kingdom  of  God  has  gone  forward,  although  Mission- 
ary Thoren  left  us  two  years  ago  by  reason  of  his  health,  and  Missionary  Bergsten 
was  called  home  by  the  Stiftdsen  [i.e.,  the  Lutheran  Swedish  Missionary  Society]  for 
.the  spreading  of  "erroneous  doctrine,"  because  he  had  founded  a  "Lord's  Supper 
Society,"  which  is  not  permitted.  Afterward  another  was  sent  here,  but  he  was  also 
discharged  because  he  had  the  same  views,  so  that  only  Osterblom  remains.  But  for 
how  long  God  only  knows;  for  when  the  priests  saw  that  the  people  seriously  began 
to  inquire  for  the  salvation  of  their  souls  and  listened  more  to  the  missionaries,  they 
became  hostile. 

Now  since  the  believers  have  arrived  at  greater  maturity  and  increase  in  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  Lord,  they  have  begun  to  study  in  the  Bible  as  to  how  a  Christian  church 
ought  to  be,  and  in  so  doing  they  have  found  that  the  State  church  to  which  they  have 
belonged  is  not  such  as  the  New  Testament  prescribes.  The  majority  cannot  by  reason 
of  their  conscience  partake  of  the  communions  of  the  State  church,  but  what  will  they 
do  ?  The  church  law  here  prohibits  all  meetings  if  one  does  not  read  from  a  book,  or 
pray  the  prayer  prescribed  by  the  consistory.  Still  less  is  it  permitted  to  celebrate  the 
Lord's  Supper  without  [i.e.,  in  some  place  other  than]  the  church.  If  one  does  this, 
he  is  threatened  by  his  landlord  to  be  driven  from  his  estate;  and  what  will  a  poor 
man  then  do,  with  wife  and  many  children  ?  One  is  at  a  loss,  [lit.  "  hand-fallen"] 
what  to  do.     May  the  Lord  instruct  us  ! 

When  I  now  read  your  article  in  the  said  paper,  I  saw  that  in  America  and  Eng- 


IN   SWEDEN   AND   NORWAY.  83 

land,  and — 0,  how  wonderful! — even  in  Russia,1  there  is  found  a  church  called  the 
"  Congregational  church,"  which  according  to  your  letter  is  entirely  the  same  as  the 
Swedish  Free  congregations.  Oh,  how  willingly  should  we  have  wanted  to  organize 
such  a  church  here,  if  we  only  had  more  knowledge  of  said  church  and  how  it  is 
regulated.  Now  I  beg  you  to  be  so  sincerely  kind  as  to  write  to  me  where  in  Russia 
this  church  exists,  and  if  that  denomination  is  recognized  by  Russia,  as  the  Baptists 
and  the  Lutherans  are.  Besides,  I  beg  that  you  will  send  me  some  book  in  the  Swed- 
ish, if  there  be  such,  stating  what  the  creed  and  rules  are,  provided  they  have  such  ; 
how  they  administer  baptism  ;  whether  they  baptize  children  ;  yes,  everything  that 
concerns  this  Congregational  church.  Should  it  be  true  that  the  Congregationalists, 
according  to  the  letter,  actually  are  the  same  as  the  Swedish  Free  congregations,  which 
we  here  believe  to  be  entirely  regulated  according  to  God's  Word,  and  should  we  re- 
ceive knowledge  that  the  Russian  State  recognizes  this  denomination  and  grants  them 
liberty  to  exercise  church  privileges  by  uniting  as  a  church,  then  would  many  now  wail- 
ing under  the  Lutheran  State  church  here  shake  this  yoke  and  organize  into  separate 
congregations  This  we  have  until  now  believed  to  be  entirely  impossible,  because 
many  say  that  the  State  will  not  permit  the  organization  of  any  Free  churches  except 
Baptist  Many  pass  over  to  the  Baptists,  for  they  say  there  is  no  other  way  to  get  out 
of  the  State  church.  Many  are  found  who  do  not  want  to  be  Baptists,  and  therefore 
we  would  fain  hear  how  it  is  with  the  Congregationalists  ;  what  their  doctrine  is,  and 
what  their  position  is  in  Russia.  Should  you  not  know  the  state  of  those  in  Russia, 
then  may  be  you  yet  know  where  said  church  exists  and  would  inform  me  of  it,  and 
then  I  shall  certainly  trace  it  up  and  make  a  thorough  inquiry  into  the  matter.  I  have 
often  prayed  to  God  that  he  would  show  us  some  way  in  our  position.  May  he  now  do 
so.  To  his  great  name  be  glory  and  praise  !  Dear  friends  over  yonder  !  pray  that  he, 
our  common  God,  and  our  brother  Jesus  Christ,  may  work  yet  more  powerfully  to  the 
salvation  of  yet  more  souls  here  in  Russia,  for  all  of  this  enormous  empire  with  its  over 
eighty  million  inhabitants  are  Greek  Catholics,  who  lack  almost  all  the  Word  of  God, 
and  only  the  more  educated  are  able  to  read.  May  also  for  them  the  light  arise  in  the 
darkness,  with  salvation  under  its  wings !  Send,  if  you  can,  messengers  of  peace  to 
this  country,  although  (it  may  be  said)  it  is  closed  to  the  gospel.  Only  the  provinces 
of  the  Baltic,  Estland,  Lifland,  and  Hurland  are  so-called  Evangelical  Lutheran,  and 
in  these  places  many,  during  the  last  year  and  also  this  year,  have  passed  over  to  the 
Greek  Orthodox  church.     This  is  done  from  mere  political  motives. 

Lastly,  I  would  beg  your  forgiveness  for  daring  to  trouble  you  with  such  a  long 
and  very  obscure  letter.  I  have  learned  Swedish  [meaning,  it  is  not  his  native  lan- 
guage], and  for  this  reason  it  is  not  entirely  pure.  We  have  no  books  in  our  own  lan- 
guage, but  only  Swedish  literature  is  used.  The  Estnish  [or  Estnian]  language  is,  how- 
ever, spoken  all  around  here.  I  must  now  close  my  letter,  hoping  that  you  will  write 
to  me  in  Swedish,  for  none  here  understand  English.  Then  shall  I,  if  God  wills  [or, 
"if  it  please  God  "],  answer  the  letter  and  further  inform  you  of  the  state  here.  Al- 
though our  situation  is  narrow,  we  have,  however,  the  Word  of  God,  and  then,  to  be 
sure,  we  have  liberty  to  serve  him.  I  now  commend  both  you  over  there  and  us  here 
into  the  hands  of  the  omnipotent  God  to  the  day  of  deliverance.  Many  greetings  from 
all  brethren  in  Christ  and  from 

Yours  united  in  the  Lord, 

Johan  Nymann. 


1  The  article  alluded  to  gave  the  number  and  location  of  the  Congregational  churches 
in  the  world  ;  among  them  it  was  stated  that  there  was  one  such  church  in  Russia. 

That  church  is  in  St.  Petersburg,  and  Rev. Kilborn,  from  England,  is  the  pastor. 

—Ed. 


84  A   WIND   FROM   THE   HOLY   SPIRIT 

THE  OLD  AND  THE  NEW   IN  NORWAY. 
The  following  historical  sketch  was  prepared  for  me  by  Mr.  M.  Hanson  : 

In  olden  times  Norway  was  a  heathen  country  and  the  people  worshiped  idols. 
The  Roman  Catholic  religion,  and  following  it,  later  on,  the  Lutheran  religion  also, 
were  both  introduced  by  force.  When  the  kings  accepted  Christianity  in  either  form, 
then  the  people  were  by  law  required  to  do  the  same.  All  the  inhabitants  were  com- 
pelled to  become  (nominal)  Christians,  and  this  accounts  for  the  dead  forms  and  cere- 
monies that  exist  in  the  State  church.  This  was  the  situation  in  1796,  when  God  raised 
up  Hans  Nielsen  Hatjge  to  awaken  the  country  from  its  spiritual  death.  The  coming 
of  a  new  spiritual  life  in  Norway  began  among  the  laymen,  but  as  laymen  were  at  that 
time  forbidden  by  law  to  preach  the  Word  of  God,  the  new  teaching  met  with  great  op- 
position from  the  priests  of  the  Lutheran  State  church.  Hauge  himself  had  to  lie  in 
jail  for  eleven  years  because  he  preached  the  Word  of  God.  He  was  greatly  beloved 
by  the  people  and  they  were  always  glad  to  hear  him.  Thus  many  of  the  true  and  liv- 
ing Christians  in  Norway  came  to  stand  in  opposition  to  the  State  church,  and  were 
persecuted  by  it.  The  law  forbidding  laymen  to  preach  was  finally  repealed  in  spite 
of  the  king  and  his  party  in  the  Government.  By  the  Constitution  of  Norway,  any  law 
which  the  king  will  not  sanction  may  nevertheless  become  a  law  if  passed  by  a  majority 
of  Parliament  each  year  for  three  successive  years.  The  law  against  the  preaching  of 
laymen  was  thus  repealed  by  being  passed  by  the  Parliament  for  three  successive  years 
over  the  king's  veto. 

Hauge  and  his  colaborers  (called  "Haugianere  ")  kept  clear  of  doctrinal  discussion 
and  never  attempted  the  organization  of  an  independent  church.  But  the  years  from 
1850  to  1860  were  revival  times  in  Norway— an  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit  over 
the  whole  country.  The  larger  number  of  those  who  proclaimed  the  gospel  were  lay- 
men, but  there  were  also  identified  with  this  work  two  talented  theologians,  namely, 
Pastor  Lammers,  of  Skien,  and  Professor  Johnson,  of  Kristiania.  These  men  did  much 
to  make  the  revival  popular  and  to  give  it  character  and  permanence.  As  in  those 
days  the  Bible  was  widely  circulated,  all  could  read  it  in  their  own  homes,  and  thus 
had  their  eyes  opened  to  see  that  a  State  church  could  not  be  a  church  of  God.  Pastor 
Lammers  was  among  those  who  attacked  very  strongly  the  false  and  spiritually  dead 
priesthood.  As  the  State  church  could  not  be  reformed,  a  large  number  seceded  from 
it  in  1856,  Pastor  Lammers  being  at  the  head  of  the  movement.  As  the  queen  (wife  of 
Oscar  I.)  was  a  Roman  Catholic,  it  became  necessary  to  modify  the  law  prohibiting  any 
but  the  Lutheran  religion,  and  hence  in  1845  the  "  Dissenters'  Law  "  was  passed,  under 
which  the  new  movement  found  protection.  These  dissenting  congregations  laid  down 
no  particular  creed :  they  would  recognize  the  Lutheran  teaching  so  far  as  it  was  in 
harmony  with  the  Word  of  God.  The  doctrines  that  small  children  are  regenerated 
in  baptism,  and  that  forgiveness  of  sins  is  to  be  found  in  partaking  of  the  Lord's  Sup- 
per, they  could  not  find  in  the  Bible.  Hence  they  would  take  the  Bible  for  their  rule 
of  faith  and  doctrine.  The  dissenters,  however,  now  had  troiibles  within  their  own 
folds.  While  they  had  been  unanimous  that  secession  from  the  State  church  was  a 
necessity,  now  many  suddenly  began  to  get  "scruples"  about  it,  and  began  to  consult 
with  the  priests,  and  for  the  first  time  the  priests  and  some  of  the  believing  laymen 
were  good  friends.  They  won  the  doubters  to  their  side  and  began  to  oppose  and  per- 
secute those  who  for  conscience'  sake  had  followed  their  own  convictions  of  the  mean- 
ing of  God's  Word.  They  were  adjudged  to  be  in  error,  and  to  become  righteous  must 
return  to  the  mother  church. 

Nevertheless  the  good  work  went  on  so  long  as  Pastor  Lammers  stood  as  the  leader. 
He  traveled  over  the  country  as  far  north  as  Troms5,  edifying  and  encouraging  God's 


IN   SWEDEN   AND   NOKWAY.  85 

children.     Free  apostolical  congregations  were  organized  not  only  in  the  country,  but 
also  in  most  of  the  cities  in  Norway. 

After  three  or  four  years  divisions  arose  in  the  new  congregations  concerning  doc- 
trinal points,  especially  in  the  congregation  ministered  to  by  Pastor  Lammers,  and 
the  opposition  to  him  from  those  who  had  formerly  been  his  best  friends  became  so 
great  that  he  lost  courage,  announced  that  he  had  taken  his  position  too  hastily,  left  his 
congregation,  and  eventually  returned  to  the  State  church.  Many  followed  him  back 
into  the  State  fold,  especially  those  of  some  social  standing  and  wealth.  The  majority, 
however,  could  not  follow  him  in  this  retracing  step,  as  they  believed  they  had  been 
following  the  directions  of  the  Word  of  God.  However,  the  whole  movement  was 
stopped.  For  want  of  leadership  new  divisions  arose;  some  emigrated  to  America, 
some  joined  the  Methodists  or  Baptists,  who  had  sent  their  missionaries  to  Norway  dur- 
ing these  stirring  times  ;  others  remained  faithful,  although  now  in  a  subordinate  and 
despised  position.  Yet  these  did  not  entirely  despair.  It  must  be  freely  admitted  that 
they  had  been  at  first,  on  some  points,  too  narrow.  In  1863  the  Free  congregations 
held  a  conference  and  decided  to  allow  greater  freedom  respecting  baptism,  viz.,  that 
parents  might  use  their  discretion  whether  or  not  to  baptize  their  children,  and  that 
adults  who  so  desired  might  again  be  baptized,  even  though  they  had  been  baptized  in 
infancy. 

In  1869  Mr.  Christian  Cornelius,  formerly  a  resident  of  Bergen,  Norway,  returned 
from  America,  where  he  "  had  been  appointed  preacher  in  the  Congregational  church. "  ' 
He  had  received  still  greater  light  respecting  Christian  freedom.  He  called  a  regular 
conference  meeting  in  1870,  at  which  it  was  agreed  to  give  perfect  freedom  on  ques- 
tions of  conscience  to  all  the  members  and  to  all  who  should  hereafter  unite  with  them. 
From  that  time  to  the  present  the  aim  has  been  to  cultivate  such  freedom.  But  these 
congregations  had  little  numerical  strength  and  were  without  means  to  carry  forward 
missionary  enterprises,  and  their  progress  has  been  slow.  They  had  one  traveling 
missionary  named  Falck,  now  editor  of  The  Morning '-glow  at  Kristiania,  a  semi- 
monthly paper  in  sympathy  with  the  Free  church  movement.  One  missionary  could 
not  accomplish  much  on  so  large  a  field.  Meanwhile  in  our  sister  country  of  Sweden 
there  was  going  on  a  great  work  in  evangelical  freedom,  although  much  of  it  was  within 
the  State  church. 

About  sixteen  years  ago  (1868)  a  Swedsh  missionary  came  to  Norway  and  began  work 
in  Kristiania,  and  organized  a  mission  which  still  exists.  At  that  time  they  were  so 
"  State-church-ly  "  that  we  Norwegian  Free  church  people  could  not  entirely  sympa- 
thize with  them.  However,  a  few  years  ago  (1878)  the  Swedish  Christians  awakened  as 
from  a  slumber,  and  tore  themselves  loose  from  the  State  church  and  its  ceremonies. 
At  our  annual  meeting  in  Kristiania  in  1881  Swedish  traveling  preachers  visited  us 
and  set  forth  with  power  the  sins  of  the  State  church.  The  result  was  that  fifty  per- 
sons withdrew  at  once  from  the  State  church  and  celebrated  the  Lord's  Supper  in  a 
private  house.     Our  time  had  now  come  ;  for  this  we  had  long  hoped  and  prayed. 

The  time  had  now  come  for  a  union  between  the  Norwegian  Free  congregations  and 
the  mission  of  the  Swedish  missionaries.  This  union  took  place  in  1882,  when  Pastor  A. 
Fernholm,  of  Kristinehamn,  Sweden,  came  to  Kristiania  to  organize  the  congregation. 
Although  he  had  never  before  addressed  us,  we  found  that  his  convictions  and  ours  on 
church  questions  were  in  entire  harmony,  and  in  the  Lord's  name  we  co-operated  with 
him  in  uniting  the  congregations  into  one  ;  and  we  have  not  since  been  sorry  we  did 

1  Upon  inquiry  I  learn  that  there  was,  at  one  time,  a  Scandinavian  Congregational 
church  in  Chicago,  111.,  which  disbanded  ten  years  ago,  and  most  of  the  members 
joined  the  Tabernacle  church,  under  Mr.  Moody's  charge.  This  Mr.  Cornelius  was 
licensed  to  preach  and  served  this  Scandinavian  church,  and  is  now  reported  as  resid- 
ing in  Iowa. — Ed. 


86  A   WIND   FROM   THE   HOLY   SPIRIT 

so.  We  then  invited  all  our  brethren  throughout  Norway  to  a  conference  meeting, 
and  the  result  was  the  great  meeting  held  in  Kristiania,  July  11,  1882.  Then  came 
the  "  times  of  refreshing  "  which  swept  over  Norway  from  New  Year's  Day,  1883.  Then 
it  was  that  our  dear  brother,  F.  Franson,  evangelist  from  Mr.  Moody's  church  in  Chi- 
cago, came  here  and  began  revival  meetings.  The  meeting  in  Kristiania  began  on  New 
Year's  eve  and  continued  for  two  months,  during  which  time  some  three  hundred  came 
out  of  darkness  into  light.  There  was  a  great  stir  in  the  city,  and  in  the  many  other 
towns  which  he  visited  a  similar  result  followed.  This  was  the  case  in  Drommen, 
Kongsberg,  Laurvig,  Skien,  Arendal,  Bergen,  Aalesund,  Kristiansund,  Troudhjem, 
Bodo,  and  Tromso.  In  these  and  other  places  the  kingdom  of  God  goes  onward,  despite 
the  great  opposition  from  the  priests  of  the  State  church  and  from  lay  preachers  who 
help  the  priests.  In  many  other  places  where  our  preachers  have  been  there  are  now 
bands  of  young  Christians  who  must  be  nourished  from  the  Word  of  God. 

I  give  below  a  list  of  the  Free  Mission  churches  in  Norway,  and  also  add,  from 
memory,  their  probable  membership  in  round  numbers : 

Members. 

Kristiania 400 

Drommen 100 

Kongsberg , 80 

Laurvig j 30 

Skien 100 

Arendal 50 

Klep 30 

Bergen 300 

Aalesund 30 

Kristiansund 100 

Trondhjem 50 

Bodo 100 

Tromso 200 

Eidesvald  (country  district) 100 

Kongsvinger 30 

Besides,  we  have  missions  in  Adalen,  Drobach,  Holmestrand,  and  many  other  points 
in  the  country  ;  so  that  we  may  safely  say  that  our  Free  Mission  friends  number  two 
thousand  members.  Inclosed  are  also  various  clippings  for  your  information  about 
the  work  and  the  places  Brother  Franson  has  visited. 

I  trust  that  you  will  be  able  to  gather  from  these  jottings  a  fair  idea  of  the  field 
and  the  labors  of  your  fellow-brethren  here  in  Norway.  We  rejoice  to  know  that  our 
friends  in  America  have  found  us.  We  have  often  wished  that  this  might  be  so,  but 
we  have  not  known  how  to  bring  it  about.  But  now  God  has  himself  done  it,  and  to 
him  be  all  the  praise.  And  a  brotherly  greeting  to  our  friends  in  the  faith  in  the 
Western  world  from  the  Free  Evangelical  friends  in  Norway. 

M.  Hanson, 
Secretary  of  the  Norwegian  Mission  Union. 

Kristiania,  Norway,  August  8,  1884. 

DARKNESS   IN   NORWAY. 

From  a  pamphlet  entitled  "The  Spiritual  State  of  Norway,"  by  A.  H. 
Darling,  from  England,  the  following  extracts  are  taken  : 

Norway  is  scarcely  two  days'  steaming  from  Great  Britain  ;  notwithstanding,  I  am 
fully  convinced  that  next  to  nothing  of  its  spiritual  state  is  known  to  British  Chris- 


IN   SWEDEN   AND   NORWAY.  87 

tians.  .  •  .  Those  sixteen  weeks  in  Norway  opened  our  eyes  to  many  things  that 
saddened  our  hearts.  ...  On  the  Tuesday  night  the  steamer  arrived  in  Vard.e 
about  10.  I  distributed  to  all  I  could  meet,  continuing  till  about  1  A.M.  I  went  into 
a  dock-yard  and  found  some  men  building  a  ship.  I  saluted  them  and  began  my  dis- 
tribution, and  said  a  few  words  about  the  way  of  salvation.  They  were  all  pleased 
and  thanked  me.  The  men  being  at  work  and  the  sun  shining  so  beautifully  caused 
me  to  think,  Is  it  really  night  ?  During  five  weeks  I  saw  no  night.  I  often  meditated 
on  the  passage,  "  There  shall  be  no  uight  there."  Hammerfest  had  certainly  an  awful 
smell,  caused  by  thousands  of  fishes  hung  up  to  dry  and  others  used  in  preparing  train 
oil  ;  but  Vardoe  is  worse  than  either  Hammerfest  or  VadsiJe.  The  few  hours  I  was  in 
Vardue  I  suffered  from  nausea.  I  proposed  to  labor  there  three  or  four  days,  but  the 
smell  prevented  me.  ...  I  saw  but  few  who  were  really  born  again.  Their  ster- 
eotyped religion  (bdrnelaerdom)  is  in  all  parts  of  Norway,  but  worst  of  all  in  country 
districts,  often  a  great  barrier  against  the  simple  gospel.  .  .  .  Lutheran  preaching 
halls  have  been  denied  me  in  Drontheim,  Moss,  Stathelle,  KragerCe,  and  Arendal, 
because  I  was  not  a  Lutheran. 

It  is  not  a  visit  of  a  few  months  in  Norway  that  can  enable  a  Christian,  however 
well  versed  in  the  language,  to  ascertain  the  true  spiritual  condition  of  the  land.  Visit: 
ors  in  any  strange  place  generally  receive  the  best  impression,  but  if  they  take  up  their 
abode  there  they  will  by  degrees  see  many  things  below  the  surface.  After  nearly  two 
years'  sojourn,  I  have  made  and  am  still  making  discoveries  that  grieve  me  exceed- 
ingly ;  I  believe  their  principal  cause  is  the  incredible  ignorance  of  the  people  of 
the  Word  of  God.  Norwegians  and  many  true  Christians  read  very  little  of  God's 
Book ;  they  have  learned  in  their  younger  days  the  epitome  of  the  Eible,  called  Bible 
history,  therefore  many  of  them  have  the  impression  that  they  know  pretty  well  the 
substance  of  the  Bible.  They  feel  more  disposed  to  read  books  of  sermons  and  church 
fathers,  so  called.  I  have  often  been  told  that  when  a  person  is  converted  to  God  he 
(or  she)  is  advised  to  read  this  or  that  good  book,  as  it  is  supposed  that  they  can  under- 
stand such ;  but  the  Bible  is  little  heeded,  because  they  have,  from  olden  times,  the 
deeply  rooted  Roman  Catholic  impression  that  the  priest  only  can  understand  and  ex- 
plain it.  I  have  been  informed  by  faithful  Christians  that  any  child  of  God  who  be- 
gins to  read  and  study  God's  Word  only  is  considered  presumptuous.  There  are  many 
who  meet  together  for  edification,  but  the  Bible  is  little  used  ;  a  printed  sermon,  the 
product  of  a  deceased  or  living  priest,  is  preferred.  There  are  many  in  Norway  who 
believe  that  the  (so-called)  church  fathers  were  as  much  inspired  as  the  Apostles. 

Few  Norwegian  Christians  are  familiar  with  the  Old  Testament,  for  they  read  so 
little  of  it.  If  many  Christians  were  requested  to  read  a  portion  out  of  Jonah  or  Zech- 
ariah,  you  would  likely  see  them  seek  for  it  at  the  beginning  of  the  Bible,  notwith- 
standing their  having  received  from  the  priest  a  certificate  of  religious  instruction  at 
their  confirmation.  ...  In  all  my  travels  in  the  land  I  have  never  found  more 
than  one  Lutheran  family  that  had  regular  morning  or  evening  reading  of  the  Script- 
ures ;  I  have  met  with  two  Christian  families  outside  of  the  State  church  who  have 
Scripture  reading,  etc  ,  morning  and  evening.  I  have  made  inquiries  if  the  priests 
exhort  the  people  to  have  such  habitual  times  for  reading  the  Bible,  but  I  have  never 
been  able  to  ascertain  that  they  do  so.  .  .  .  There  are  Mormons,  who  call  them- 
selves also  Latter-day  Saints,  in  Kristiania  and  a  few  other  places,  endeavoring  to  lead 
people  to  the  carnal  religion  of  the  American  false  prophet.  .  .  .  There  is  much 
more  spiritual  life  in  Sweden,  and  Christians  there  are  much  further  advanced  in 
scriptural  truth  than  those  in  Norway.  .  .  .  Christian  parents  in  Norway  do  not 
seem  to  feel  a  responsibility  to  teach  their  children  and  bring  them  up  in  the  nurture 
and  admonition  of  the  Lord,  therefore  the  religious  instruction  in  most  cases  is  laid  on 
others,  chiefly  on  the  school-master  and  priest.  The  young  people  are  now  grounded 
in  semi-popish  doctrines,  which  then,  and  in  after  life,  often  hinder  them  in  believing 


88  A   WIND   FROM   THE   HOLY   SPIRIT 

the  simple  gospel.  When  the  trying  ordeal  of  confirmation  is  over,  many  of  the  young 
people  think  they  have  had  enough  of  religion  and  can  now  enjoy  those  things  that 
are  more  agreeable. 

The  Lutheran  church  holds  with  a  firm  hand  all  the  baptized  children  within  its 
pale  till  they  are  nineteen  years  of  age,  and  if  any  of  them  were  converted  and  should 
partake  of  the  Lord's  Supper  with  children  of  God  outside  the  State  church,  they 
would  be  breaking  the  Lutheran  law,  and  those  who  allowed  them  to  partake  of  the 
emblems  would  be  liable  to  fines  and  imprisonment.  A  boy  or  girl  a  little  advanced 
in  their  teens  cannot  easily  find  employment  without  a  certificate  of  religious  training. 
It  is  impossible  for  any  Norwegian  (Lutheran  or  Dissenter)  to  get  married  without 
producing  such  a  certificate  either  from  the  Lutheran  priest  or  some  Dissenting  minis- 
ter (so-called)  acknowledged  by  the  State  ;  besides,  the  Lutheran  must  have  at  least 
once  taken  the  sacrament  before  he  or  she  can  be  wedded.      .     . 

Lutheran  priests,  school-teachers — all  preachers  and  agents  connected  with  the  Lu- 
theran church— teach  that  babes  are  the  children  of  wrath  till  their  baptism,  when 
they  are  made  children  of  God  by  the  waters  of  baptism.  In  January  of  last  year, 
when  in  Valders,  I  asked,  after  the  close  of  a  meeting  held  in  a  farm-house,  a  youth  of 
about  sixteen  if  he  could  believe  that  his  sins  weTe  forgiven  and  he  had  become  a  child 
of  God  ;  he  answered  me  in  the.  affirmative.  My  next  question  was,  How  and  when  ? 
He  replied,  "  When  I  was  baptized."  I  thought  at  the  time  this  was  a  rare  case,  but  I 
have  since  learned  that  thousands  in  Norway  date  their  new  birth  from  their  baptism, 
when  they  made  a  covenant  in  their  tender  infancy,  through  sponsors,  with  God.  I 
have  ascertained  that  it  is  generally  believed  in,  and  that  it  is  taught  in  all  schools  to 
children,  and  in  their  seats  of  learning  to  students,  and  in  all  Lutheran  institutions, 
whether  for  preachers  or  colporteurs,  without  exception.  .  .  .  '"  This  act  [bap- 
tism] is  but  a  true  means  of  grace,  which  itself  effects  and  performs  what  it  designates." 
"The  water  of  baptism  is  not  only  simple  or  ordinary  water,  but  a  water  coupled 
with  God's  almighty  word,  and  therefore  a  divine,  heavenly,  and  saving  water.  But 
although  baptism  has  thus,  on  account  of  Christ's  command  and  promise,  its  saving  or 
regenerating  power  in  itself,  and  cannot,  however,  exercise  its  effects  on  him  who  does 
not  receive  it  rightly,  whosoever  receives  it  in  unbelief  remains  unregenerated  in  his 
sin  and  death,  just  the  same  as  he  who  rejects  it.  Without  faith  it  profits  nothing. 
But  the  little  babe  has  also  this  accepting  faith  which  baptism  demands."  .  .  . 
"  If  a  babe  is  a  sinner,  then  it  needs  salvation  ;  if  it  needs  salvation,  then  it  also 
needs  regeneration  ;  therefore  it  needs  baptism.  If  there  is  anything  fixed  and  fixedly 
grounded  in  God's  Word,  it  is  this."  .  .  .  "Faith  is  indeed  a  condition  for  the 
saving  effect  of  baptism  ;  but  can  the  babe  believe  ?  Yes,  most  certainly,  dear  soul ; 
without  faith  baptism  cannot  be  a  blessing."  .  .  .  "The  Holy  Ghost  who  de- 
scended from  heaven  at  the  baptism  of  Jesus  is  present  in  baptism  and  makes  it,  with 
the  Word  and  the  water,  a  bath  of  regeneration  and  of  renewal  in  the  Holy  Ghost." 
.  .  .  "We  are  carried  to  baptism  as  the  children  of  wrath  but  returned  as  the 
children  of  God,  and  have  now  the  right  to  eternal  happiness."     . 

Mr.  L.  Oftedal,  priest  in  Stavanger,  in  the  four  numbers  of  his  weekly  periodical, 
Bibd-Budet,  of  December,  1873,  repeatedly  asserts  regeneration  in  baptism.  The  fol- 
lowing will  be  sufficient:  "Den  Katholske,  den  Graeske,  og  den  Lutherske  Kirke 
eaameget  de  ellers  afvige  fra  hinauden  i  Laeren,  ere  vaesentlig  enige  i  Laeren  om 
Daaben,  enten  den  auvendes  paa  voxne  ella  paa  Born,  og  bruge  den  i  begge  Tilfaelde 
som  et  Gjenfodelsens  Middel."  l 

1  "The  Catholic,  the  Greek,  and  the  Lutheran  churches,  however  much  they  other- 
wise differ  from  each  other  in  teaching,  are  essentially  one  about  the  doctrine  of  bap- 
tism, whether  it  be  applied  to  adults  or  babes,  and  they  use  it  in  both  cases  as  a  means 
of  regeneration."     . 


IN   SWEDEN   AND   NORWAY.  89 

"Question.— When  didst  thou  become  his  [God's]  child  ? 

Answer. — In  baptism,  when  I  became  a  Christian. 

Question. — What  is  baptism? 

Answer. — Baptism  is  not  water  alone,  but  it  is  water  which  is  included  in  God's 
command  and  coupled  with  God's  Word. 

Question. — What  is  the  use  of  baptism  ? 

Answer. — It  effects  the  forgiveness  of  sins,"  etc.,  etc. 

"  He  who  repents  of  his  sins  receives  from  the  priest  in  God's  stead  the  promise 
that  his  sins  are  forgiven.  It  is  God's  Word  to  him  pronounced  through  the  priest's 
mouth.  God,  who  alone  forgives  sins,  and  who  is  in  heaven,  tells  through  the  priest 
to  the  repenting  sinner  on  earth  that  he  is  forgiven  all  his  sins.  When,  therefore,  the 
priest  on  earth  pronounces  to  the  repenting  sinner  forgiveness  of  sins,  it  is  because 
God  in  heaven  forgives  such  a  sinner  ;  when  the  priest  on  earth  does  not  forgive  an 
impenitent  sinner,  it  is  because  God  in  heaven  does  not  forgive  such  a  one." 

The  above  is  another  extract  out  of  the  book  of  Mr.  John  Stenerson,  parish  priest, 
Horten.  .  .  .  Hauge  taught  it  was  wrong  to  be  sure.  I  was  told  in  Kristiania, 
by  one  who  is  reckoned  a  Christian,  that  it  is  a  sin  to  be  sure  of  being  saved.  Almost 
every  day  I  live  in  Norway  I  am  more  and  more  convinced  that  this  is  the  general 
belief. 

SWEDISH   EVANGELIST  IN   NORWAY. 

The  following  letter  and  accompanying  sketch  are  written  by  Mr.  F. 
Franson,  a  Swede  who  is  said  to  have  been  for  some  years  a  resident  of 
Chicago,  and  a  member  of  the  Tabernacle  church.  The  peculiarities  of 
this  earnest  worker  are  manifest,  and  the  glimpses  he  gives  of  current  his- 
tory are  very  interesting : 

Kristiania,  Norway,  July  25,  1884. 
Rev.  M.  W.  Montgomery,  Minneapolis. 

Dear  Brother  in  Christ :  Peace  in  Jesus,  the  Prince  of  Peace  !  I  received  your 
letter  a  few  days  ago,  but  in  spite  of  my  best  efforts  I  have  not  been  able  to  answer  it 
before  now.  I  am  here  in  Kristiania  at  present,  holding  a  short  evangelists'  school  of 
only  three  weeks  for  the  purpose  of  finding  out  who  of  our  Norway  men  can  be  used 
as  missionaries,  and  forgiving  practical  hints  with  regard  to  the  question,  "  How  to 
deal  with  inquirers."  Three  similar  courses  of  study  are  to  be  held  in  three  towns  of 
Sweden — Westeras,  Jonkoping,  and  Malmo.  Our  study-room  here  is  daily,  after 
school  is  out,  noon  and  evening-,  visited  by  the  sick  or  in  some  way  disabled  persons, 
who  want  us  to  pray  for  them  that  they  may  be  cured.  Glorious  results  we  see.  To- 
day we  have  seen  several  cured.  Wonderful  times  we  live  in,  indeed  !  Those  at- 
tending our  school  hold  revival  meetings  in  different  parts  of  the  city  almost  every 
evening,  and  souls  are  saved.     Enclosed  I  send  you  a  short  sketch. 

O,  how  it  caused  my  heart  to  rejoice  to  hear  that  you  had  interested  the  Christians 
in  America  for  the  Mission  house  at  Kristiania.  We  chose  God  for  our  treasurer  when 
we  began,  and  he  is  true  to  his  office.    The  friends  here  keep  on  working  and  praying. 

I  write  in  great  hurry.  My  best  respects  to  all  the  people  of  God  in  Minneapolis. 
In  October,  after  my  schools  are  out,  I  intend  to  begin  evangelistic  work  at  Copen- 
hagen and  then  work  on  in  Denmark  until  spring.  Ask  the  brethren  to  pray  for  Den- 
mark, that  multitudes  may  be  saved.     God  be  with  us. 

Fraternally  yours, 

F.  Franson. 

P.  O.  address,  Orebro,  Sweden. 


90  A   WIND   FROM  THE  HOLY   SPIRIT 

REVIVALS  IN  SWEDEN  AND   NORWAY. 

Being  requested  by  Rev.  M.  W.  Montgomery,  of  Minneapolis,  to  write  an  account  of 
my  labors  and  the  religious  situation  in  Sweden  and  Norway,  I  cannot  but  grasp  the 
opportunity  to  proclaim  the  indeed  wonderful  work  of  the  Lord  in  these  countries  of 
the  North.  I  have  seen  many  wonderful  things  done  by  the  Lord  in  other  parts  of  the 
world,  but  such  a  deep,  thorough,  and  widespread  religious  awakening  as  I  have  seen 
in  Sweden  and  Norway  (Sweden  particularly),  I  have  never  before  witnessed. 

I  cannot  but  thank  God  that  he  has  granted  me  the  great  privilege,  during  these 
three  years  I  have  been  laboring  in  these  countries,  of  helping  to  gather  in  the  sheaves 
from  the  field.  To  see,  evening  after  evening,  from  ten  to  sixty  or  seventy  persons 
melted  to  tears  at  the,  preaching  of  the  glad  tidings  of  free  salvation  for  every  one  who 
will  come,  and  many  of  them  rejoicing  in  the  Savior  before  leaving  the  meeting,  has 
been  no  extraordinary  sight. 

Eternity  alone  will  reveal  how  many  souls  have  been,  during  the  last  five  or  six 
years,  gathered  to  the  fold  of  Christ.  For  my  own  part,  I  have  labored  in  about 
fiftv  of  the  ninety  cities  or  towns  in  Sweden,  and  in  some  twenty  in  Norway,  and 
I  have  in  almost  every  place  (a  few  towns  of  Norway  excepted)  seen  multitudes  come 
to  the  Lord,  and  the  revivals  in  the  towns  have  generally  spread  more  or  less  to  the 
surrounding  country.  Even  in  many  places  where  there  has  been  no  regular  preaching 
of  the  gospel,  the  prayer-week  (which  is  generally  kept  all  over  Sweden)  has  resulted 
in  awakenings  which  have  necessitated  the  prolonging  of  that  week  for  months.  The 
young  converts  from  the  winter  of  1882  (a  most  wonderful  winter),  I  have  no  doubt, 
must  be  counted  by  thousands. 

Several  years  ago  a  similar  evangelistic  awakening  was  witnessed  in  Sweden,  but 
the  Christians  at  that  time  had  very  deficient  ideas  of  the  necessity  of  taking  care  of 
the  young  converts  by  gathering  them  into  churches  according  to  God's  Word,  and  the  re- 
sult was  that  many  were  drawn  away  from  God  back  into  the  world  again.  The  mighty 
work  now  going  on,  of  gathering  the  Christians  together  to  take  care  of  each  other  and 
work  for  Christ,  has  already  had  a  powerful  tendency  in  the  direction  of  making  the 
work  permanent.  So-called  "  Mission  Societies  "  have  for  many  years  existed  in  many 
places  in  Sweden,  but  the  work  of  these  societies  has  been  only  to  collect  money  to 
send  out  missionaries  with,  and  not  to  take  care  o/the  Christians.  These  societies  con- 
sisted also  of  both  converted  and  unconverted  members,  although  the  executive  com- 
mittee, as  a  general  thing,  were  Christians. 

The  old  name,  "  Mission  Society,"  is  now  in  many  places  kept  for  the  new  organ- 
izations, but  in  many  places  the  name  is  changed  to  "  the  Free  church,"  "  the  Mission 
church  "  "  the  church  of  God  "  or  "  of  Christ "  at  such  and  such  a  place,  but  what- 
ever the  name  is  the  organization  is  the  same,  a  free  independent  union  consisting 
of  only  true  believers,  and  having  for  their  two  aims  to  take  cure  of  each  other,  the  be- 
lievers between  themselves,  and  to  work  for  Christ.  The  Lord's  Supper  is  partaken  of 
once  a  month  or  oftener,  as  each  church  determines,  and  is  in  Sweden  generally  taken 
part  in  by  all  the  members,  although  the  churches  are  ofttimes  so  organized  that  not 
even  those  who  have  not  yet  become  so  much  enlightened  as  to  see  the  unscripturalness 
of  holding  communion  with  the  unconverted,  and  who  consequently  go  to  the  State 
church,  are  excluded  from  membership.  Every  one  who  loves  Christ  and  desires  to 
become  a  member  is  allowed  this  privilege.  Lack  of  knowledge  in  such  things  is  not 
considered  reason  strong  enough  to  hinder  any  one  from  membership  :  but  as  a  gen- 
eral thing  it  does  not  take  a  person  a  long  time  after  he  has  enjoyed  the  blessings  con- 
nected with  membership  before  he  also  joins  at  the  communion  table.  I  will  here 
state  what  seems  very  strange,  but  what  still  is  a  fact,  that  not  only  can  a  person  be  a 
member  of  the  State  church  (nominally)  and  a  member  of  such  a  Free  church  at  the 
same  time,  but— the  most  strange  of  all — a  person  cannot  come  out  of  the  State  church 


IN   SWEDEN   AND   NORWAY.  91 

unless  he  can  name  a  certain  denomination,  acknowledged  by  the  State  as  such,  which 
he  intends  to  join.  But  if  he  does  so  he  loses  some  of  the  liberties  he  had  before  with 
regard  to  the  labors  in  the  vineyard  of  Christ,  and  as  a  consequence  most  of  the 
Christians  never  take  their  names  out  of  the  State  church,  but  leave  it  to  the  church 
to  exclude  them  if  it  chooses,  which,  as  a  consequence  of  the  laws,  never  happens  and 
never  can  happen.  I  can  here  state  that  we  have  some  twenty-five  thousand  Baptists 
in  Sweden,  and  they  all  (with  the  exception  of  one  little  church)  belong  at  the  same 
time  nominally  to  the  State  church. 

"With  Persecutions." 

I  mentioned  liberties  for  those  who  have  their  names  on  the  church  record,  but 
even  for  them  these  are  very  few  ;  and  here  I  come  to  the  persecutions  from  the  State 
church  which  once  in  a  while  still  happen  in  places  where  the  priests  are  mean 
enough  to  make  use  of  a  still  existing  paragraph — a  remnant  of  an  old  law  called 
"  Konventikelplakatel,"  wherein  laymen  were  forbidden  to  preach  the  gospel.  This 
law  was  almost  entirely  done  away  with,  some  twenty  years  ago.  Before  that  time  it 
was  no  uncommon  thing  to  see  one  after  another  of  the  messengers  of  Christ  put  in 
prison  for  preaching  the  good  news.  But  a  certain  paragraph  still  exists  which  gives 
the  church  council  in  any  parish  the  power  to  forbid  any  preacher  (and  that  without 
any  necessity  of  taking  the  trouble  of  proving  that  he  has  preached  false  doctrine)  to 
hold  any  further  services  in  that  parish.  If  the  minister  afterward  keeps  on  holding 
services,  he  can  be  fined  from  fifty  to  three  hundred  kronors,  and  if  he  cannot  pay 
he  receives  punishment  on  water  and  bread. ' 

There  are  now  two  things  which  help  the  poor  evangelists,  namely,  (1)  that  this 
law  is  very  unpopular  with  all  classes  except  the  most  fanatical  priests,  and  (2)  that 
the  evangelist,  as  a  general  thing,  gets  the  sentence  done  away  with  if  he  takes  time 
to  appeal  to  the  king. 

I  have  myself  had  the  honor  of  being  presented  with  not  less  than  six  such  "  pro- 
hibitions "  from  the  church  authorities  in  the  six  towns,  Lidkoping,  Skenninge,  Halm- 
stad,  Wisby,  Falun,  and  Lund,  but  four  of  them  have  already  been  done  away  with 
by  the  king,  Oscar  II.,  and  one  is  awaiting,  I  have  no  doubt,  one  of  these  days  the  same 
treatment.  (The  sixth  one,  in  Wisby,  I  didn't  make  myself  the  trouble  of  appealing 
on.)  I  have  had  many  wonderful  opportunities  to  testify  for  my  Savior  in  several 
courts  before  which  I  have  been  called  to  appear  and  answer  for  my  guilt  in  being  about 
as  disobedient  to  these  prohibitions  as  Peter  and  John  were  to  the  prohibitions  men- 
tioned in  Acts  4 :  18.  The  witnesses  called  up  in  my  case  have  often  been  believers, 
and  their  testimonies  have  more  than  once  brought  the  president  of  the  city  court  (the 
mayor  of  the  city)  into  perplexity. 

Prayer  in  Court. 

One  example.  The  law  does  not  say  anything  about  prohibition  for  prayer  but  only 
for  discourses.  After  receiving  the  prohibition  at  Skenninge  another  brother  preached 
in  my  stead  in  the  meeting-house,  and  I  intended  only  to  take  part  with  prayer.  But 
I  had  hardly  opened  my  mouth  in  prayer  before  an  officer  seated  in  the  gallery  inter- 
rupted me,  commanding  me  "  in  the  name  of  the  law  and  the  king  "  to  stop.  (This  act 
was  unlawful  for  him  to  do,  and  he  came  pretty  near  losing  his  place  as  a  consequence 
of  it.)  Next  day  I  was  called  up  before  the  city  court.  I  denied  having  held  any  dis- 
course, but  admitted  that  I  had  prayed.     The  mayor,  a  good-natured  old  gentleman,  a 

1  The  water  and  bread  punishment  has  fortunately,  by  the  last  Riksdag  [Parlia- 
ment] of  1884,  been  done  away  with,  which  law  will  come  into  force  by  October  1st  of 
this  year.     After  that  time  those  who  cannot  pay  the  fine  will  receive  common  prison. 


92  A   WIND   FROM   THE   HOLY   SPIRIT 

real  man  of  honor,  I  thought,  in  every  respect,  hut  very  ignorant  with  regard  to  any 
other  religious  services  than  those  of  the  State  church,  could  not  in  any  way  make  out 
what  distinction  there  was  between  a  discourse  and  a  prayer.  "Indeed,"  he  said, 
after  having  mused  awhile,  "  I  would  like  to  have  been  along  and  heard  that  prayer." 
Immediately  I  asked  him  if  he  desired  to  hear  one  like  it.  "  Yes,"  he  said,  before 
he  had  taken  time  to  think  of  what  he  said,  I  suppose.  Instantly  I  lifted  up  my  eyes 
to  God  and  prayed  for  them  all  there  present  and  for  the  whole  town.  After  I  had 
finished  and  he  had  overcome  his  astonishment,  he  mustered  up  courage  to  ask  one  of 
the  witnesses  (a  Christian  lady)  if  my  prayer  in  the  mission  house  was  like  that  one. 
"  Yes,"  the  witness  replied,  "  with  the  exception  that  he  was  not  there  permitted  to  get 
to  the  amen!''''  This  naturally  caused  some  merriment,  and  as  the  affair  now  began  to 
be  very  critical  for  the  honorable  gentleman  we  were  allowed  to  withdraw,  and  in  a 
few  moments  the  decision  came,  "  not  guilty."  As  now  the  matter  concerning  me  was 
settled,  the  officer  who  had  interrupted  our  meeting  all  at  once  became  very  humble, 
fearing  that  we  would  lay  charge  against  him  for  his  unlawful  act.  He  came  down  to 
the  president  of  our  church  committee  and  asked  forgiveness,  which  he  of  course  re- 
ceived. Now  all  this  had  the  effect  upon  the  people,  that  we  got  almost  the  whole  town 
upon  our  side.  Many  souls  were  saved  and  added  to  the  church.  Similar  occurrences 
could  be  mentioned  from  other  places,  but  it  is  not  necessary. 

Redounds  to  the  Glory  of  God. 

I  will  only  say  that  all  has  turned  out  to  God's  glory  and  the  promotion  of  Ms  cause. 
It  has  now  come  to  that  point  in  most  parts  of  Sweden  that  every  time  the  priests  make 
a  movement  against  the  Free  Christians  they  lose  so  much  that  they  [i.e.,  the  priests] 
never  try  again  in  the  same  place. 

In  Norway  there  exists  no  prohibition  power  with  the  priests,  but  the  priests  have 
there  a  far  greater  moral  influence  over  the  people,  and  the  Free  gospel  work  is  in  its 
childhood.  Free  Mission  churches  or  societies  have  been  organized  in  the  last  few  years, 
in  spite  of  all  resistance,  in  the  following  places :  Kristiania,  Kongsvinger,  Eidsvald, 
Drobach,  Drommen,  Skien,  Kongsberg,  Laurvig,  Arendal,  Klep,  Bergen,  Kristiansund, 
Aalesund,  Trondhjem,  Bodo,  and  Tromso.  The  membership  in  Kristiania  is  about 
400  ;  in  Bergen,  300  ;  in  Tromso,  about  200;  in  Drommen,  Skien,  Kristiansund,  Bodo, 
and  Eidsvald,  about  100  each.  The  others  are  under  100.  Several  other  mission 
stations  are  opened,  and  the  country  needs  only  evangelists ;  a  great  harvest  is  waiting. 
In  Bergen  (next  to  Kristiania  the  largest  city  in  Norway)  a  house  of  worship  has  just 
been  finished,  seating  about  1,500,  and  another  house  is  soon  to  be  ready  in  Kristiania 
of  about  the  same  size.  In  Tromso  there  is  a  commodious  house  of  worship  at  the  dis- 
position of  the  Mission  society,  and  in  Kristiansund  one  is  being  built  now.  In  Skien 
a  bargain  is  being  made  for  a  well-situated  lot.     In  other  places  halls  are  rented. 

With  regard  to  the  religious  press,  we  have  in  Sweden,  besides  Sunday-school  papers, 
one  monthly  paper  for  the  foreign  missions,  four  religious  political  weekly  papers,  one 
weekly  entirely  religious,  two  monthlies  entirely  religious,  and  some  chiefly  political 
weekly  papers  whose  editors  and  managers  all  are  in  sympathy  with  this  Free  move- 
ment. Here  in  Norway  we  have  Morgenroden,  in  sympathy  with  the  work  going 
on.  It  cannot  yet  pay  the  expenses  connected  with  its  issue,  but  we  hope  the  time  will 
soon  come  when  it  can. 

Belief  in  Faith-Cures. 

Before  I  finish  I  must  mention  the  wonderful  things  the  Lord  is  doing  with  us  here 
in  Sweden  and  Norway,  as  well  as  in  other  parts  of  the  world,  with  regard  to  faith-heal- 
ing. Among  these  Free  churches  it  has  become  a  practice  almost  everywhere,  that 
when  a  brother  or  sister  is  sick  the  elders  of  the  church,  according  to  James  5,  are 
sent  for  and  the  sick  person  is  anointed  in  the  name  of  the  Lord. 


IX  SWEDEN  AND   NORWAY.  93 

To  several  persons  God  has  given  wonderful  faith  in  these  respects.  A  hrother  in 
Stockholm  God  has  used  in  a  remarkable  manner.  Not  only  have  the  sick  been  cured, 
but  many  lame  have  been  able  to  throw  away  their  crutches,  the  deaf  have  got  their 
ears,  and  even  the  blind  have  had  their  eyes  opened.  I  have  lately  seen  here  in  Kris- 
tiania  (where  I  am  at  present;  many  wonderful  cures.  We  have,  among  many  others, 
anointed  two  persons  who  were  blind  in  one  eye,  and  though  they  before  with  that 
eye  could  not  even  see  people  walking,  "  as  if  they  were  trees,"  they  in  a  little  while 
could  read  a  paper  with  that  eye,  blind  before  (having  the  other  one  shut).  Others, 
suffering  from  other  things,  have  been  partly  or  wholly  cured.  Several  other  truths 
have  mightily  taken  hold  of  the  Christian  hearts,  as  the  hidden  life  icith  Christ,  the 
blessings  of  testifying  and  working  for  Christ,  the  constantly  waiting  position  that  befits 
the  bride  of  Christ. 

Norway  a  Missionary  Field. 

The  heathen  missions,  that  formerly  received  very  little  help  from  Sweden,  have 
drawn  the  attention  of  the  Christians  here  more  than  ever  before,  and  I  hope  that  the 
time  is  come  when  Sweden  will  contribute  more  to  this  blessed  work,  with  both  per- 
sons and  money.  With  regard  to  Norway,  it  must  as  yet  be  more  looked  upon  as  a 
mission  field  needing  support  rather  than  being  able  to  give.  May  the  Lord  bless 
these  countries  more  and  more  abundantly,  as  well  as  the  whole  world.  And  may 
the  hearts  of  us  all  who  have  received  the  new  life  be  occupied,  during  our  prog- 
ress in  holy  life  and  our  constant  labor  for  him,  with  (not  this  progress  or  the  re- 
sults of  this  work,  but  with)  the  glorious  person  of  Jesus  Christ,  dead  for  our  sins,  risen 
for  our  purification,  interceding  now  in  our  behalf,  and  again  soon  returning  to  receive 
us  to  himself. 

I  send  the  most  hearty  greetings  from  us  all  here  to  our  Congregational  brethren 
across  the  Atlantic,  who  have  already  shown  so  much  interest  in  our  welfare. 

Fraternally  yours, 

F.  Fbanson. 

Kristiania,  July  25,  1884. 

DE.  WALDENSTROM'S  VIEWS. 

That  Dr.  Waldenstrom's  views  on  various  subjects,  and  bis  style  of  writ- 
ing and  preaching  may  be  seen,  we  give  below  several  extracts  from  some 
of  his  published  works.  Our  space  permits  only  a  glimpse.  From  a  lect- 
ure by  bim  on  "  The  Independent  Movement  and  tbe  Swedish  Churcb," 
we  condense  and  extract  as  follows  : 

This  subject  may  well  be  said  to  be  a  burning  question.  It  cannot  be  denied  that 
much  anxiety  prevails  in  our  country  regarding  this  religious  movement,  and  that  this 
anxiety  has  spread  abroad  not  only  among  them  that  are  chiefly  interested  in  religious 
and  church  matters,  but  also  among  such  as  one  would  be  apt  to  believe  were  entirely 
indifferent  to  such  questions.  That  a  deep-going  religious  revival  spreads  among  our 
people  cannot  be  denied.  That  convocations  [priest-meetings]  occupy  themselves  so 
much  with  this  question  is  not  to  be  wondered  at.  The  experience  of  the  later  years 
has  also  shown  that  the  work  of  so-called  convocations  and  priest-conferences  has  been 
principally  concentrated  on  the  question  of  the  independent  [Free  church]  movement, 
and  what  position  the  priesthood  should  take  towards  the  same  ;  how  they  should  guide 
it  and  meet  it  that  it  might  not  assume  too  energetic  proportions.  The  question 
treated  of  here  is  not  discussed  in  theological  journals  only,  but  also  in  political  dailies, 
and  many  judge  with  great  positiveness  of  the  matter  without  knowing  what  its  essen- 


94  A   WIND   FROM   THE  HOLY   SPIRIT 

tials  are.  Some  claim  that  there  is  great  danger  that  the  Swedish  State  church  will  ho 
torn  asunder  ;  others  fear  civil  commotions. 

When,  a  year  ago  last  summer,  extensive  labor  movements — so-called  "strikes" — 
arose  in  Norrland,  they  were  put  in  connection  with  the  religious  movements  by  a 
correspondent  of  one  of  the  most  prominent  newspapers  in  Stockholm.  If  we  will 
learn  something  from  history,  we  shall  find  that  the  more  thorough  religious  move- 
ments have  always  been  regarded  and  judged  in  the  same  manner  that  the  present  one  is. 
If  one  observes  how  the  Reformation  was  judged  of  in  the  sixteenth  century,  he  will 
find  a  surprising  likeness  to  the  existing  circumstances.  When  the  peasant  war  broke 
out,  the  papists  were  not  slow  to  use  this  as  a  weapon  against  the  Reformation  and  the 
religious  movement  it  effected.  "  There  one  sees  the  result,"  they  said,  "the  libera- 
tion of  the  people  from  both  church  and  civil  ties ;  in  short,  wantonness,  revolt,  and 
many  other  dreadful  things."  Most  ghost-stories  have  thus  originated  in  conseqxience 
of  not  examining  at  closer  range  the  matter  that  appeared  so  dreadful  at  a  distance.  We 
know  that  they  are  many  who  assert  that  the  cause  of  this  movement  is  nothing  but 
fanaticism,  obstinacy,  and  spiritual  pride.  But  because  a  man  with  all  his  heart  be- 
lieves the  Word  of  God — that  is  not  fanaticism  ;  that  he  does  not  suffer  himself  to  be 
shaken  from  such  belief — that  is  not  obstinacy  ;  and  that  they  who  thus  believe  on  God 
also  are  glad  in  God — that  is  not  spiritual  pride.  The  Pharisees  of  the  Jews  judged 
in  the  same  manner  that  one  frequently  does  now.  They  considered  that  it  was  nothing 
but  fanaticism  that  men  believed  what  Jesus  proclaimed  ;  they  considered  that  when 
the  disciples  did  not  obey  their  prohibitions,  it  was  sheer  obstinacy  and  spiritual  pride 
that  governed  them.  If  one  reads  church  history,  it  will  bear  testimony  that  the  same 
has  been  the  case  in  every  period.  During  the  middle  ages  many  protests  arose 
against  the  corruption  of  the  church,  and  those  men  from  whom  these  protests  emanated 
were  in  the  same  manner  pronounced  fanatic,  obstinate,  and  spiritually  proud,  and 
were  silenced  by  bloodshed.  Thus  it  happened  with  the  Waldenses  in  the  twelfth 
century,  with  the  Albigenses  in  the  thirteenth,  the  Wycliffites  in  the  fourteenth,  and 
the  Hussites  in  the  fifteenth  century.  We  may  thus  see  that  nothing  new  happens 
under  the  sun. 

But  the  root  of  all  these  movements  was  nothing  else  than  the  decline  of  the 
church.  And  it  is  the  same  to-day.  The  church  has  in  many  respects  deviated  from 
the  gospel  of  Christ.  It  is  an  odious  but  true  declaration,  that  the  present  official 
Christianity  [i.e.,  of  the  Swedish  State  church]  is  something  else  than  the  Christianity 
of  Christ  as  it  is  presented  in  the  New  Testament.  Those  who  read  the  Word  of  Cod 
attentively  have  found  this,  and  it  has  called  forth  from  their  side  protests,  first  in 
words  and  then  in  actions.  Meantime  this  movement  goes  forward  with  renewed 
vigor,  and  if  for  a  while  one  has  succeeded  in  smothering  it  in  one  place,  as  it  seems,  yet 
has  the  smothered  movement  planted  the  seed  of  a  new  one.  What  the  end  will  be 
we  will  not  judge.  That  our  posterity  will  see.  It  is  related  of  an  archbishop,  that 
when  he  passed  through  our  country  to  extend  the  evangelical  doctrine  he  erected  gal- 
lowses by  the  churches,  and  on  these  he  caused  all  to  be  scourged  and  hanged  who  did 
not  immediately  declare  themselves  willing  to  accept  the  new  doctrine  offered  to  them. 
One  could  for  that  reason  say  that  the  Reformation  was  lashed  [verb  from  "rod  "J 
into  many.  After  many  theological  and  church-political  contentions  the  result  was  a 
State  church,  instead  of  the  communion  of  saints,  as  the  church  is  described  in  the 
Bible  and  in  the  Augsburg  Confession.  The  supreme  head  of  the  State  is  also  the 
supreme  head  of  the  church.  Whether  the  king  believes  the  doctrine  or  no,  he  is  at 
all  events  the  supreme  head  of  the  church  ;  whether  he  lives  a  godly  life  or  not,  yet 
he  is  the  highest  ruler  within  the  church.  And  thus  instead  of  the  church  being 
groups  of  believing,  like-minded,  Christ-loving  people,  it  became  equivalent  to  the 
number  of  people  that  lived  within  certain  geographical  limits.  The  church  is  just  as 
large  as  the  parish  ;  for  all  who  have  not,  according  to  legally  provided  forms,  with- 


IN   SWEDEN   AND   NORWAY.  95 

drawn  from  the  State  church,  belong  to  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church.  If  they, 
beyond  that,  are  believers  or  unbelievers,  if  they  are  materialists  or  spiritualists,  etc., 
that  is  all  the  same.     All  that  have  not  formally  withdrawn  are  Lutheran. 

If  one  asks,  "  How  large  is  this  or  that  church  ?"  it  does  not  mean,  "How  many 
believers  are  there  ?  "  but  it  signifies,  '•  How  many  live  within  these  or  those  geograph- 
ical limits  ''.  "  Whether  they  follow  [walk  after]  Christ  or  Belial,  whether  they  love 
Christ  or  deride  him — these  are  foreign  matters.  They  are  at  all  events  Lutherans. 
The  State  church  lias  no  law  by  means  of  which  it  can  exclude  any  of  its  members. 
It  can  exclude  them  from  the  communion,  but  nothing  further.  We  are  called 
separatists,  etc.,  but  never  are  those  called  "dissenters"  or  "separatists"  who  live 
without  God  and  do  not  believe  on  Christ  and  his  Wood.  When  they  speak  of  sepa- 
ratists and  their  lack  of  conscience,  they  mean  those  who  in  everything  desire  to  live 
according  to  the  Word  of  God  and  therefore  cannot  otherwise  than  deviate  a  great  deal 
from  the  Swedish  State  church.  Yes,  when  a  religious  revival  begins  among  those 
who  do  not  care  about  God,  so  that  even  they  will  follow  the  Word  of  God,  then  im- 
mediately they  cry,  "  schism  of  the  church,"  and  begin  with  edicts,  and  councils,  and 
fines,  and  imprisonments  on  water  and  bread,  to  endeavor  to  suppress  the  started 
movement,  just  as  though  something  dreadful  were  on  foot.  It  was  Pietism  that  gave 
origin  to  the  religious  movements  that  ever  since  have  continually  developed.  Pietism 
was  a  religious  movement  that  started  in  Germany  in  the  seventeenth  century,  in  oppo- 
sition to  the  dead  orthodoxy  and  ungodliness  that  characterized  the  so-called  Lutheran 
church.  The  church  had  come  to  consider  that  doctrine  as  of  the  highest  importance 
and  guarded  it  with  all  exactness,  while  placing  vastly  less  importance  on  the  manner 
of  life.  It  is  easily  seen  that  such  a  dogmatism  could  not  appeal  to  the  minds  of  the 
people  and  satisfy  those  who  asked  what  they  should  do  to  be  saved.  If  one  would  by 
a  figure  represent  the  schism  and  dissension  that  has  arisen  in  the  church  through  this 
movement,  then  let  him  fancy  a  number  of  sheep  going  a-grazing  on  a  dry  sand-hill 
where  they  could  find  a  blade  of  grass  here  and  there,  scarcely  sufficient  to  keep  them 
from  starving  to  death.  If  then  at  the  side  of  this  meager  pasture-land  some  one  opened 
a  gate  to  a  green  and  beautiful  meadow,  it  would  surely  not  be  any  wonder  if  the 
sheep  with  joy  hurried  thither  to  find  rich  pasture.  About  the  same  is  the  case  with 
the  separatism  from  the  State  church  of  which  so  much  is  spoken. 

In  1700  the  consistory  complained  before  the  grand  governor  in  Stockholm  that 
Pietism  had  penetrated  [lit.,  intruded]  into  the  capital,  which  complaint  called  forth 
nigh  unto  the  same  feelings  as  the  cry,  "  The  pest  is  coming."  A  thorough  inquiry  was 
undertaken,  with  the  result  that  four  students,  a  druggist,  and  a  chamberlain  were 
found  to  be  infected  with  Pietism.  As  an  instance  of  how  horrible  Pietism  was  con- 
sidered, the  following  incident  may  be  cited,  which  happened  in  Finland.  The  priest 
Ulstadius,  a  teacher  named  Shaefer,  and  a  student  by  the  name  of  Ulhegius  expressed 
their  doubts  about  the  blessing  of  the  work  of  an  unconverted  priest,  and  this  was  con- 
sidered as  something  decidedly  dreadful.  It  was  considered  that  they  had  bound  the 
Word  of  God  by  the  condition  of  the  person.  The  consequence  was  that  they  were  in 
1689  imprisoned  and  kept  for  three  years.  Then  Shaefer  and  Ulhegius  recanted,  but  Ul- 
stadius was  sentenced  to  death.  His  sentence  was  mitigated  by  the  king  to  imprisonment 
for  life,  and  he  passed  thirty  years  in  prison  till  his  death.  Shaefer  went  to  America,  but 
returned,  driven  by  a  remorseful  conscience  over  his  abnegation,  and  expressed  the  same 
opinion  as  before.  He  was  also  sentenced  to  death,  but  his  sentence  was  mitigated 
and  he  was  kept  in  prison  nineteen  years  until  his  death.  Surely  none  can  be  found 
who  can  avoid  shuddering  at  thinking  of  such  events.  The  coarsest  rationalism  and 
materialism  gained  entry  not  only  with  the  people  but  even  among  the  priests,  so  that 
instead  of  preaching  the  Word  of  God  they  often  preached  entirely  different  matters. 
If,  for  instance,  the  text  was  about  the  widow's  son  in  Nain,  they  would  in  that  find 
occasion  to  speak  about  the  benefit  of  laying  out  cemeteries  outside  the  cities.    In  con- 


96  A   WIND   FROM   THE  HOLY   SPIRIT 

nection  with  such  godless  preaching  stands  also  the  ungodly  life  of  the  priesthood. 
Frequently  they  were  not  only  priests,  but  also  whiskey  distillers  and  saloon  keepers, 
and  would  not  seldom  themselves  establish  saloons  in  the  vicinity  of  the  churches.  In 
the  north  of  Sweden  there  was  a  priest  who  had  established  several  saloons  about  the 
ehurch.  When  the  bell  rang  for  the  third  time  he  went  and  drove  the  people  out 
of  the  saloons  and  into  the  church,  and  after  the  service  the  saloons  were  opened  as 
before.  Without  such  facts  as  these  we  could  not  fully  understand  the  many  vocifer- 
ous complaints  that  arose  against  corruptions  in  the  church.  In  the  north  of  Sweden 
the  meetings  continued,  and  could  not  there  be  exterminated.  They  were  conducted 
by  laymen — not  preaching  laymen,  but  such  as  read  from  Luther's  collection  of  ser- 
mons, as  yet  is  customary  up  there  in  Norrland.  I  have  spoken  with  old  persons  in 
Westerbotten,  who  have  said  that  in  their  childhood  it  was  not  uncommon  to  journey 
several  miles,  sometimes  going  twenty  miles  on  foot,  to  hear  a  sermon  of  Luther  read. 
Eventually  Mission  societies  began  to  be  organized,  and  Mission  houses  began  to  be 
built,  the  first  in  Umea  city,  afterwards  in  Gefle  and  Jonkoping,  and  finally  everywhere 
in  the  country. 

There  was  great  contention  over  Article  XIV.  of  the  Augsburg  Confession,  which 
prohibits  lay  preaching,  that  was  called  forth  by  the  labor  of  the  preaching  laity. 
They  had  finally  to  put  up  with  the  preaching  of  the  laymen,  whether  it  comported 
with  said  article  or  not,  since  it  was  at  all  events  a  fact  that  could  not  be  denied  and 
which  also  proved  a  great  blessing.  Besides,  sometimes  Christians  did  not  dare  to 
pray  aloud  with  their  own  families,  from  fear  that  somebody  might  stand  outside,  lis- 
tening, and  afterwards  inform  against  them  that  they  had  preached  to  strangers !  Then 
lay  meetings  were  prohibited  ;  and  in  1845  a  peasant  in  Dalecarlia  was  fined  100  kro- 
nors  for  the  reason  that  he  in  his  home  read  the  Lord's  Prayer  and  a  sermon  from 
Luther's  collection ;  and  then,  because  he  held  this  meeting  on  Sunday,  he  was  fined, 
in  addition,  five  riksdaler  for  breach  of  the  Sabbath.  When  he  could  not  pay  these 
fines  in  money  he  had  to  do  it  by  sitting  in  prison,  kept  on  water  and  bread.  Since 
that  time  the  prison  at  Gefle  has  not  seldom  been  filled  with  such  as  had  been  appre- 
hended for  transgressing  this  law  and  brought  bound  into  prison.  Yet  when  they 
came  there  they  did  not  find  the  days  sad,  but  expressed  the  joy  of  their  hearts  by 
joining  in  songs  of  thanks  to  God,  and  people  gathered  outside  the  prison  to  hear  the 
singing."  On  one  occasion  a  man  came  to  an  officer  of  the  crown  and  gave  notice  that 
several  persons  had  gathered  for  a  religious  meeting  at  such  and  such  a  place.  The 
constable  went  to  the  place,  found  the  door  shut,  but  knocked  and  demanded,  in  the 
name  of  the  law,  to  be  admitted.  During  the  delay  the  worshipers,  by  previous  plan, 
made  some  rapid  changes  in  the  appearance  of  the  room,  so  when  the  constable  entered 
he  did  not  find  any  occupied  with  reading  the  Word  of  God ;  instead  the  table  was 
filled  with  beer-mugs,  pipes,  and  cards,  which  made  him  exclaim,  with  disappoint- 
ment: "Why,  here  are  no  Pietists,  but  only  good  Lutherans."  The  present  law  is 
somewhat  milder,  to  be  sure,  but  the  principle  is  the  same  in  both,  namely,  an  at- 
tempt to  smother  religious  movements  with  civil  weapons.  And  it  is  not  required  that 
the  church  council  shall  prove  that  the  preaching  layman  has  done  harm,  but  if  only 
the  church  authorities  consider  his  preaching  as  tending  to  schism  of  the  church,  he  may 
be  fined  or  sentenced  to  imprisonment  on  water  and  bread.  Late  years  furnish  many 
instances  where  honest  citizens  have  had  to  go  to  prison  for  having  testified  of  the 
Lord.  A  policeman  who  was  once  ordered  to  conduct  such  an  offender  to  prison  re- 
marked afterwards  :  ' '  That  was  the  meanest  act  I  ever  did  in  my  life."  Our  authorities 
cannot  understand  that  spiritual  things  require  spiritual  weapons.  There  is  hardly 
anything  on  which  history  testifies  so  clearly,  and  yet  it  seems  that  nothing  is  so  diffi- 
cult for  them  to  learn,  as  this  simple  truth.  It  is  evidence  of  weakness  in  the  church 
when  it  needs  to  borrow  the  prisons  of  the  State  to  quell  religious  movements. 

Regarding  the  religious  movements  in  our  country,  an  unexpected  turn  took  place 


IN   SWEDEN   AND   NORWAY.  97 

in  1872  through  the  question,  "  Where  is  it  written  ?"  The  question  first  touched  upon 
the  reconciliation,  but  did  not  stop  there.  One  thing  brought  on  another,  and  the 
Communion  became  a  burning  question.  "  Is  the  Communion  properly  conducted  in 
the  State  church  ?  "  This  began  to  be  asked  with  increasing  earnestness.  Formerly 
small  societies  had  been  organized  to  celebrate  communion  in  closer  harmony  with  the 
Word  of  God,  but  now  a  great  part  of  the  believers  in  general  began  to  consider  this 
matter.  Believing  priests  were  heard  to  admit  that  it  was  not  properly  managed — 
were  heard  to  sigh  and  deplore  that  they  had  to  serve  a  communion  that  was  incom- 
patible with  the  Word  of  God.  So  the  question  was  more  and  more  earnestly  asked, 
"Has  God  given  the  communion  to  his  people,  or  to  the  world  ?  "  After  much  hesitating 
many  abstained  from  communion  for  several  years — private  communions  with  the  per- 
secutions following.  Then  followed  the  "communion  societies"  and  the  "circle  so- 
cieties," and  next  the  celebrated  "Communion  Petition  "  to  the  king,  signed  by  over 
twenty-two  thousand  persons,  including  forty-two  clergymen.  This  being  denied,  the 
celebration  of  the  Lord's  Supper  in  private  was  continued.  Christian  churches  also 
began  to  be  organized  in  several  places.  This  church  organization  occasioned  many 
difficulties  and  disagreements.  It  seems,  however,  as  though  the  difficulties  had  abated 
more  and  more,  and  in  some  places  the  work  has  already  gone  very  far.  To  those 
who  are  unfamiliar  with  such  organizations  and  who  think  they  are  something  dread- 
ful, let  me  explain  that  applicants  for  membership,  after  full  inquiry  has  been  made 
about  them  and  the  church  has  voted  to  receive  them,  are  brought  before  the  assem- 
bled church  and  answer  the  following  questions:  "Do  you  believe  on  God  the 
Father,  on  Jesus  Christ  the  only  Son  of  God,  and  on  the  Holy  Ghost  ?  Will  you  live 
holily  and  righteously  in  this  world,  to  the  glory  and  praise  of  God's  name  ?  "  When 
these  questions  are  answered  in  the  affirmative,  a  blessing  is  invoked  upon  them,  and 
they  are  considered  members.  It  is  surely  natural  that  the  sober  and  the  chaste  sepa- 
rate theniselvesjirom  drunkards  and  the  unchaste,  and  likewise  that  those  who  love 
Jesus  and  want  to  live  for  him  dissever  themselves  from  those  who  do  not  love  him. 
Thus  the  more  may  they  be  able  to  encourage,  comfort,  teach,  instruct  and  support 
each  other.  No  Christian  is  so  perfect  that  he  can  live  without  the  assistance  of  other 
Christians.  He  who  professes  himself  so  good  a  Christian  as  not  to  need  communion 
with  others  must  be  a  petrified  Christian.  But  such  a  union  of  Christians  is  also  neces- 
sary on  account  of  their  work.  Unity  is  strength.  The  mission  work  is  important 
and  incumbent  upon  Christians.  If  they  work,  only  each  for  himself,  they  will 
accomplish  little  compared  with  what  they  can  do  if  they  unite  their  efforts.  Many 
little  brooks  make  a  great  river,  but  if  each  brook  flows  by  itself  it  will  dry  up  or  sink 
into  the  sand.  It  belongs  to  the  Christian's  grand  purpose  here  on  earth  to  work  for 
the  diffusion  of  the  gospel  of  Christ  and  for  the  salvation  of  men.  The  independent 
*movement  is  a  return  to  the  true  church  as  delineated  in  the  Bible  and  in  the  Augs- 
burg Confession.  What  this  movement  opposes  is  that  untruth,  that  worldliness,  that 
co-mixture  of  the  spiritual  and  the  worldly,  and  that  religious  slavery  which  without 
doubt  prevails  within  the  State  church.  And  he  who  says  that  this  is  to  oppose  the 
church,  makes  the  church  identical  with  this  worldliness,  this  slavery,  et  cetera ;  but 
that  would  be  drawing  up  a  poorer  certificate  of  character  for  the  State  church  than 
we  should  want  to  sign. 

Yet  a  few  words  before  we  close.  In  Sweden  people  enjoy  the  privilege  of  organ- 
izing associations  for  all  possible  purposes  and  to  institute  all  kinds  of  "orders,"  and 
the  ministers  of  the  Swedish  church  are  frequently  high  dignitaries  in  the  order  of 
Freemasons.  Dancing  clubs,  gaming  clubs,  et  cetera,  are  permitted,  and  this  without 
being  called  "  separatism  "  and  without  seeming  to  require  exceptional  laws.  Then 
we  ask  why  gatherings  for  mutual  edification  about  the  Word  of  God  and  unions  for 
godliness  should  be  considered  as  disseverance  of  the  church  and  occasion  exceptional 
laws.  What  we  ask  is  that  the  privilege  may  be  granted  with  the  same  liberality  to 
7 


98  A    WIND   FROM   THE  HOLY   SPIRIT 

some  of  the  members  of  the  church  to  gather  about  the  Word  of  God  and  to  celebrate 
the  memorial  of  the  death  of  Jesus,  as  others  are  permitted  to  gather  around  the  gam- 
ing tahle,  at  balls,  and  so  forth,  and  it  does  not  seem  to  be  an  unreasonable  request. 
The  spokesmen  of  the  church  ought  to  have  learned  something  from  history.  But  his- 
tory ever  repeats  itself.  "Had  we  lived  in  the  time  of  our  forefathers,"  said  the  Jews, 
"  we  should  not  have  put  the  prophets  to  death  ; "  but  they  killed  Christ.  After  them 
came  the  Papacy,  who  said:  "Had  we  lived  in  the  time  of  the  Jews,  we  should  not 
have  killed  Christ ;  "  and  in  the  meantime  the  Roman  Catholic  church  butchered  mul- 
titudes of  the  faithful  witnesses  of  Christ.  Then  came  another  time,  when  it  was  said  : 
"Had  we  lived  at  the  period  of  the  Reformation,  we  should  not  have  shared  in  the 
blood  of  the  reformers."  Thus  the  thing  is  repeated  from  time  to  time,  and  it  seems 
as  though  nothing  better  is  to  be  expected.  However,  if  the  State  understood  what 
harm  it  does  to  the  church  it  means  to  protect  when  it  lends  her  its  prisons,  it  would 
withdraw  its  hand.  If  the  church  is  to  gain  anything,  it  must  be  by  the  power  of 
truth.  Everything  she  gains  through  violence  may  be  put  down  to  her  loss.  May  God 
give  all  who  govern  the  church  and  other  matters  of  religion  grace  to  consider  this,  and 
may  none  of  those  who  have  God's  kingdom  on  earth  at  heart  grow  weary  of  praying 
that  what  is  still  wrong  may  yet  be  righted,  and  of  thanking  God  for  everything  that 
in  these  respects  has  so  far  been  accomplished. 


"CAN   WE  BELIEVE  ?" 

Under  this  title  Dr.  Waldenstrom  writes  to  The  Homeland's  Friend  the 
following  keen  arraignment  of  the  Swedish  State  church.  The  hand  of  a 
master  in  controversy  is  clearly  visible : 

"Christ rand  his  apostles  casting  their  adversaries  in  prison,  or  imposing  fines  on 
them  ?  God  forbid!  "  Thus  speaks  the  Wdktitren  [The  Watchman,  a  Lutheran  State 
.church  paper]  regarding  the  church  court  of  1868.  When  I  read  those  words  in 
the  Hemlandsiannen  I  became  astonished.  "  Can  it  be  possible  ?  "  I  thought.  "  Is  it 
actually  the  intention  that  we  shall  review  and  criticise  the  State  church,  guided  by  the 
example  of  Christ  and  the  apostles  ?  "  Very  well :  if  that  is  permitted,  then  may  it  be 
done  ! 

1.  Can  we  believe  that  Christ  or  the  apostles  would  have  ordained  an  earthly  king, 
without  regard  to  whether  he  lived  in  Christ  or  in  sin,  as  the  highest  bishop  over  their 

■  church,  solely  on  the  ground  that  he  was  the  king  of  the  State  ? 

2.  Can  we  believe  that  Christ  and  his  apostles  would  have  ordered  a  human  so-called 
confession  of  fai.h  to.be  drawn  up,  according  to  which  his  own  Word  should  be  inter* 
preted  ?  And  by  church  discipline,  with  warning,  private  and  public,  and  finally  ex- 
communication, treat  those  who  love  God's  Word  above  everything  and  ask  no  greater 
grace  than  to  be  able  to  live  conformably  with  the  same  in  everything  ?  To  this  class 
does  the  undersigned  venture  to  confess  himself,  and  the  Wdktaren  complains  that  the 
authorities  have  not  exercised  this  discipline  "  on  such  men,"  which  is  "  their  inexo- 
rable duty." 

3.  Can  we  believe  that  Christ  and  his  apostles  would  have  held  a  confirmation  such 
as  the  priests  now  annually  hold  in  all  the  churches,  where  a  great  number  of  ungodly 
people  are  made  full  members  of  the  church  ? 

4.  Can  we  believe  that  Christ  and  his  apostles  would  have  held  a  communion  such 
as  the  priests  now  hold  in  sill  churches  where  the  blessed  bread  and  wine  are  handed  to 
all  kinds  of  people  that  care  nothing  about  the  Lord,  and  this  with  the  prayer  that  the 
Lord  may  keep  them. unto  eternal  life,  just  as  though  they  were  already  on  the  way 
there  ?     .     .     . 


IN   SWEDEN   AND   NORWAY.  99 

7.  Can  we  believe  Christ  aid  his  apostles  would  have  been  high  or  low  Freemasons 
and  such  like,  as  now  the  bishops  and  priests  of  our  church  are  ? 

8.  Yes,  can  we  believe  that  Christ  and  his  apostles,  at  beholding  the  bravery  with 
which  the  Swedish  State  church  tramples  the  Word  of  God  under  its  feet,  would  im- 
agine that  it  yet  laid  claim  to  being  a  church  of  Christ,  and  that  believing  priests  were 
met  with  who  maintained  this  claim  ? 

9.  Can  we  believe  that  Christ  and  his  apostles  would  call  them  "  Separatists"  who 
would  not  participate  in  things  at  variance  with  the  Word  of  God,  and  that  they  would 
censure  and  hackle  them  as  disturbers  of  the  peace,  subverters,  lawless,  etc.  ? 

These  are  only  questions.  The  answers  are  left  to  each  and  every  one  that  has  a 
mind  for  truth. 

WHAT   IS  THE   CHURCH? 
From  Dr.  Waldenstrom's  answer  to  this  inquiry  we  take  the  following  : 

Any  church  denomination,  in  the  now  common  signification,  is  not  known  in  the 
Bible.  The  church  is  also  in  its  character  the  union  of  the  believing,  not  a  union  of  be- 
lievers and  the  ungodly,  much  less  a  union  of  the  ungodly.  Even  if  hypocrites  who, 
by  reason  of  human  short-sightedness,  cannot  be  discerned,  should  mix  themselves  in 
the  communion  of  believers,  it  does  not  change  the  character  of  the  communion  from 
being  a  church  of  the  believing.  A  temperance  society,  e.g.,  does  not  cease  from  being 
such  because  some  one  who  is  secretly  a  drinker  has  smuggled  himself  in.  But  if  the 
object  of  the  society  is  to  unite  the  temperate  and  drunkards,  then  it  ceases  to  be  a 
temperance  society.  Likewise,  if  a  Christian  band  enlarges  itself  and  becomes  a  so- 
ciety of  both  believers  and  the  ungodly,  then  it  has  lost  its  character  as  being  a  con- 
gregation or  church  of  God.  Should  it  after  all  make  pretense  to  be  a  church  of  God, 
then  it  is  to  be  looked  upon  as  a  dismissed  rector  would  be  regarded  who  persists  in 
the  pretense  that  he  is  a  rector.  The  sacraments  and  the  external  organizations  are 
not  and  do  not  constitute  the  church.  The  church  consists  of  persons  who  are  sancti- 
fied (not  merely  who  have  the  means  to  become  sanctified)  by  faith  in  Christ,  and  in 
consequence  of  this  one  faith  even  in  externals  it  appears  as  one  body  or  one  community. 
The  church  does,  therefore,  always  appear  under  certain  external  forms.  But  these 
forms  laid  upon  a  multitude  of  the  ungodly  or  a  society  of  Christians  and  ungodly  per- 
sons, would  make  them  a  Christian  church  just  as  little  as  a  monkey  would  become  a 
man  because  he  is  dressed  in  human  apparel. 

"GOD'S  ETERNAL  PLAN  OF  SALVATION." 

From  Dr.  Waldenstrom's  book  with  the  above  title  we  take  the  fol- 
lowing : 

Herein  is  love,  etc.  (1  John  4:  10).  We  have  remarked  before  that  the  salvation 
which  God  in  Christ  has  prepared  for  the  world  is  in  the  Scripture  called  sometimes 
redemption,  sometimes  reconciliation.  All  these  three  expressions,  save,  redeem,  rec- 
oncile, denote  the  same  thing  seen  from  different  sides  .  .  .  the  never-drying 
but  constantly  overflowing  fountain  from  which  all  his  deeds  of  salvation  emanate.  *  O, 
may  we  let  our  Heavenly  Father  be  as  good  as  he  is  !  The  expression  "reconciliation," 
on  the  other  hand,  presents  the  essential  nature  of  salvation.  For  salvation  consists 
just  in  the  reconciliation  of  man  with  God.  Therefore  let  us  now  examine  those  pas- 
sages where  it  speaks  of  salvation  as  a  reconciliation.  It  is  necessary  to  examine  what 
the  Word  of  God  says,  and  in  its  light  to  calmly  test  what  men  have  taught  alongside 
of  the  Word  of  God,  and  which  has  often  disconcerted  simple-hearted  souls.  Not  onlv 
in  the  Christian  religion,  but  also  in  heathenism,  is  felt  a  need  of  reconciliation.  A 
witness  exists  within  man,  a  witness  which  nothing  has  been  able  to  entirely  silence, 


100  A   WIND   FROM   THE   HOLY   SPIRIT 

a  witness?  that  says  it  is  not  possible  for  man  to  be  saved  or  arrive  at  peace  without  rec- 
onciliation. Even  the  heathen  feel  that  their  happiness  depends  on  their  standing  in 
a  proper  relation  to  God  ;  but  they  feel  also  that  the  relation  now  existing  is  not  the 
proper  one,  and  it  fills  them  with  misery  before  their  gods.  Accordingly  their  hearts 
also  cry  for  reconciliation.  Their  many  sacrifices,  god-worship,  self-tortnres,  pilgrim- 
ages, etc  ,  are  just  so  many  cries  to  God  for  reconciliation.  This  feeling  is  no  delu- 
sion, but  a  profound  truth.  All  thoughts  of  salvation  without  reconciliation  bear  wit- 
ness of  a  torpid  conscience  or  of  efforts  to  smother  it.  The  Holy  Scriptures  testify  with 
the  very  greatest  sharpness  of  the  necessity  of  a  reconciliation.  The  sole  object  of  the 
coming  of  Christ  and  his  work  in  the  world  was  reconciliation.  All  religion — the 
heathen,  the  Jewish,  the  Christian — is  permeated  with  the  need  of  reconciliation. 
Not  to  smother  or  to  explain  away  this  need,  but  to  confirm,  enforce,  and  satisfy  it, 
was  Christ  sent  by  the  Father  into  the  world.     .     .     . 

In  connection  with  the  statement  that  the  heathen  worship  their  god  so 
as  to  appease  his  wrath,  believing  that  he  is  angry  towards  them,  Dr. 
Waldenstrom  says  (page  386)  : 

But,  sad  to  tell,  this  belief  is  not  only  found  among  the  heathen,  but  it  lies  so  deeply 
rooted  in  all  human  nature  that  it  will  even  prevail  where  the  Word  of  God  is  pos- 
sessed and  read.  One  result  has  been  that  one  has  often  considered  Christ,  whom 
God  in  grace  has  sent  to  reconcile  us  to  himself,  as  one  on  whom  God  has  poured  out 
his  wrath  so  as  to  enable  him  to  be  gracious  to  us.  Yes,  many  really  living  and  dearly 
beloved  children  of  God  see  in  this  the  very  essentials  of  the  work  of  Christ,  and  even 
fear  that  Christ  would  be  entirely  superfluous  were  they  not  permitted  to  believe  it  is 
so.  It  seems  to  them  that  they  can  never  escape  the  wrath  of  God  unless  his  wrath 
has  been  permitted  to  vent  itself  over  some  other  one  in  their  stead.  To  their  mind 
the  chief  work  of  Christ  is  that  he  should  be  a  shield  against  God  ;  or,  so  to  say,  a 
lightning-rod  for  his  wrath,  enabling  them  to  feel  safe  befora  him.  May  God  open 
their  eyes  more  and  more !  They  do  not  realize  the  harm  they  do  to  themselves  by 
thinking  God  to  be  less  worthy  than  he  deserves.  And  besides,  God  desires  to  be 
properly  known  to  his  children.  Against  all  such  improper  conceptions  the  Scripture 
teaches  that  no  change  in  the  state  of  GocVs  heart  towards  man  has  taken  place  in  con- 
sequence of  man's  sin  ;  therefore,  that  it  was  not  God  who  needed  to  be  reconciled  to 
man,  but  that  it  was  man  who  needed  to  be  reconciled  to  God  ;  and  as  a  consequence, 
reconciliation  is  an  act  emanating  from  God  and  is  directed  towards  man,  purposing  not 
to  conciliate  him  (man),  but  to  cleanse  him  from  sin  and  restore  him  to  a  proper  relation 
to  God.  That,  as  a  consequence  of  man's  sin,  no  change  has  taken  place  in  the  state  of 
God's  heart,  may  perhaps  be  far  above  our  comprehension.  Yes,  one  may  be  ready  to  call 
it  the  greatest  absurdity  that  the  love  of  God  should  not  have  suffered  some  abatement 
through  the  fall.  But  however  absurd  and  foolish  it  may  appear,  yet  so  it  is.  If  you 
are  not  able  to  comprehend  such  love,  that  is  nothing  to  the  purpose.  It  is  all  the 
better  as  it  is.  And  by  this  has  God  proven  that  he  so  loved  the  world,  although  fallen 
in  sin,  that  he  has  given  to  it  his  only  Son  for  a  Savior.  With  God  is  no  variableness, 
neither  shadow  of  turning.  He  remains  what  he  is  from  eternity  to  eternity.  Terrible 
is  the  injury  and  disaster  which  the  sin  of  man  has  caused  ;  but  notwithstanding,  it 
has  not  been  able  to  effect  that  disaster  of  changing  the  state  of  God's  heart.  As  the 
deluge  reached  high  above  the  highest  mountain,  but  not  up  to  the  sun  so  as  to  extin- 
guish and  cool  it,  so  the  sin  of  man,  to  be  sure,  sufficed  to  destroy  all  flesh  on  the  earth, 
but  not  to  transform  the  state  of  God's  heart  or  to  make  him  anything  but  love.  God 
is  love.  God  has  not  only  been  love  or  become  love,  but  he  is  love  from  eternity  to 
eternity — The  Perfect  Love.     But  perfect  love  can  never  be  diminished,  for  then  it 


IN   SWEDEN   AND   NORWAY.  101 

would  no  more  be  perfect.     Only  that  which  is  imperfect  can  be  increased  or  dimin- 
ished. 

So  the  love  of  God  never  needed  to  be  restored,  for  it  was  never  lost;  it  never 
needed  to  be  increased,  for  it  was  never  diminished.  God  loves  because  he  is  love,  and 
lie  remained  love  in  spite  of  our  fall.  God's  love  for  the  world  was  not  one  before  the 
fall  and  another  after  the  fall  ;  and  it  did  not  become  another  still  after  the  death  of 
Christ.  A  higher  degree  of  love  cannot  be  conceived  than  this,  that  God  gives  his  only 
Son.  But  with  such  a  love  has  he  loved  Cain  as  well  as  the  Virgin  Mary,  Judas  as  well 
as  John,  Demas  as  well  as  Paul.  Even  as  God  makes  his  sun  to  shine  as  gently  on  the 
field  of  the  ungodly  as  on  that  on  the  righteous,  and  as  he  permits  the  rain  to  fall  as 
abundantly  on  the  furrow  of  the  ungodly  as  on  that  of  the  righteous,  so  he  has  also 
given  Christ  for  the  ungodly  as  well  as  for  the  godly,  and  not  to  help  up  his  love  to 
them,  but  to  help  them  up  out  of  sin  and  help  them  to  a  proper  love.  Therefore  Paul 
does  not  say  that  God  heightened  his  love  in  that  Christ  died,  nor  that  the  change  which 
through  our  fall  took  place  in  the  state  of  God's  heart  was  remedied  or  restored  through 
the  death  of  Christ,  but  he  says  :  "  God  proves  [Swedish  Bible]  his  love  towards  us,  in- 
that  Jesus  died  for  us  while  we  were  yet  sinners  "  (Rom.  5  :  8).  And  John  does  not 
say  hereby  has  the  love  of  God  been  again  restored,  but  "  Hereby  know  we  [Swedish 
Bible]  the  love  of  God,  because  he  laid  down  his  life  for  us  "  (1  John  3  :  16).  And 
again  :  "In  this  was  manifested,  the  lope  of  Goi  towards  ?/s,"  etc.  (1  John  4  :  9,  10).  And 
when  the  Lord  himself  would  represent  this  state  of  God's  heart  in  a  figure,  he  related 
the  stories  of  the  missing  sheep,  the  lost  piece  of  silver,  and  the  prodigal  son.  The 
prodigal's  father  did  not  love  hi ;  son  any  less  now  than  before.  The  shepherd  grieved 
over  the  lost  sheep,  jret  he  loved  it  so  that  for  its  sake  he  left  the  ninety  and  nine  and 
went  after  that  one  which  was  lost.  Take  notice:  Christ  does  not  set  this  forth  to  show 
how  God's  heart  was  before  the  fall,  or  how  it  had  become  after  his  death,  but  to  show 
how  it  ever  has  been  and  ever  will  be  towards  sinners. 

Peradventure  some  one  will  now  say:  "  Not  to  enable  him  to  love  man  must  God 
be  reconciled,  but  to  enable  him  to  give  his  grace  to  man.  What  if  his  love  remained 
unchanged :  yet  without  an  expiatory  reconciliation  no  grace  was  possible  for  sinners." 
Tins  is,  to  be  sure,  a  very  important  objection.  And  so  we  would  first  ask  :  Is  any 
such  thing  to  be  read  in  the  Word  of  God  ?  The  answer  is  :  No,  nowhere.  Where 
then  is  it  taken  from  7  Answer  :  It  is  taken  from  that  improper  image  of  God  which 
through  the  fall  has  been  branded  into  our  natural  heart.  But  this  image  cannot  be 
reconciled  with  that  which  the  Word  of  God  gives  us.  But,  secondly,  we  ask  :  Was  it 
not  grace  when  God  gave  his  Son  for  the  redemption  of  sinners  ?  Can  any  greater 
grace  be  conceived  of,  either  in  heaven  or  on  earth  ?  Grace  is  such  love  as  is  entirely 
unmerited  on  the  part  of  him  towards  whom  it  is  shown.  The  sending  of  Christ  into 
the  world,  his  work  and  death,  are  not  a  basis  for  the  grace  of  God  but  a  consequence 
of  the  grace  of  God;  yes,  the  very  highest  conceivable  expression  of  this  grace.  For 
no  demonstration  of  love  has  been  so  unmerited,  no  act  of  God  has  been  such  perfect 
grace,  as  the  very  act  that  he  gave  to  the  world  his  only  Son.  Yes,  verily,  behind  all 
the  acts  of  God  stands  his  love  and  grace  as  the  ever  unshaken  ground. 

WHAT   SHALL   WE   PREACH  ? 

When  the  Mission  friends  built  a  house  of  worship  at  Gefle,  the  home 
of  Dr.  Waldenstrom,  he  preached  the  dedication  sermon,  taking  the  above 
theme.     His  opening  prayer  was  as  follows  : 

In  the  name  of  God  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost.  O  Lord  God,  we 
thank  thee  that  thou  art  so  gracious  and  helpest  so  willingly  and  doest  so  well  towards 
us.     We  thank  thee  that  thou  art  merciful,  patient,  and  of  great  goodness.     We  thank 


102  A   WIND   FROM   THE   HOLY    SPIRIT 

thee  that  thou  dealest  not  with  us  after  our  sins,  nor  rewardest  us  according  to  our  in- 
iquities. We  thank  thee  that  thou  hast  sent  thine  only  Son  into  the  world  to  be  the 
Savior  of  sinners.  We  thank  thee  that  thou  hast  given  us  thy  holy  Word,  which  is 
sure,  and  profitable  for  instruction,  and  able  to  make  us  wise  unto  salvation.  We 
thank  thee  that  thou  permittest  us  to  gather  around  this  thy  Word,  and  that  thou  hast 
promised  that  it  shall  not  return  unto  thee  void,  but  that  it  shall  be  living,  powerful, 
and  fruitful  [fruit-bearing]  to  the  salvation  of  sinners  We  thank  thee  that  we  know 
that  wherever  two  or  three  are  gathered  in  thy  name,  thou  art  in  the  midst  of  them. 
We  thank  thee  that  we  know  that  thou  desirest  not  the  death  of  any  sinner,  but  that 
all  men  everywhere  shall  repent  and  live.  Therefore  bless  us  now  and  give  us  thy 
Holy  Spirit,  and  be  with  us  at  this  time.  Give  us  eyes  that  we  may  see  and  ears  that  we 
may  hear,  and  obedient  hearts  that  we  may  receive  with  willingness  what  thou  speakest 
in  thy  holy  Word.  Give  us  a  true  stillness  in  spirit,  and  help  us  to  look  up  to  thee  and 
expect  every  good  and  perfect  gift  from  thee.  Let  this  day  be  to  us  not  only  a  festal 
day,  but  a  day  of  blessedness  and  salvation,  for  thou  art  our  God.     Amen. 

What  will  be  preached  in  this  house  ?  Wholesome  or  unwholesome  things  ?  Will 
such  things  be  promulgated  as  are  designed  to  draw  the  hearts  of  men  up  to  heaven  or 
away  from  heaven— to  awaken  men  from  the  sleep  of  sin  or  to  confirm  them  iu  their 
ungodly  disposition  ?  Will  here  be  heard  such  things  as  are  designed  to  create  be- 
lieving, devout,  and  happy  people,  or,  on  the  contrary,  such  as  will  make  the  people 
godless  and  unhappy  ?     Let  us  hear,  and  then  judge  each  for  himself. 

We  shall  preach  that  all  men  are  sinners  ;  that  everything  called  man  is  in  its 
nature  destroyed  by  sin.  When  we  preach  thus,  we  lean  above  everything  on  the 
Word  of  God.     This  Word  says  of  men:   "  They  are  all  gone  out  of  the  way,"  etc. 

We  shall  not  only  preach  that  all  are  sinners,  but  also  that  there  is  no  difference  be- 
ticeen  one  sinner  and  anotlier  before  God.  In  this  we  again  lean  before  everything  on 
the  Word  of  God,  which  we  regard  as  the  potent  judge  in  all  spiritual  matters.  "There 
is  no  difference,"  says  the  apostle.  "  All  have  sinned,  and  come  short  of  the  glory  of 
God."  ...  We  shall  preach,  further,  that  as  long  as  a  person  is  in  his  sins  he  cannot 
be  saved.  When  we  preach  this,  we  lean  again  on  the  firm  rock,  the  Word  of  our  God. 
This  Word  says  :  Into  heaven  nothing  enters  that  defileth,  neither  whatsoever  worketh 
abomination,  or  maketh  a  lie  (Rev.  21  :  27).  .  .  .  But  for  those  who  are  in  sin  the 
Bible  proclaims  no  salvation.  This  is  also  supported  by  the  testimony  of  man's  own 
conscience  ;  for  also  in  this  matter  the  conscience  testifies  with  the  Word  of  God.  As 
soon  as  one  has  learned  to  feel  that  he  is  a  sinner,  he  also  feels  that,  in  the  condition 
in  which  he  finds  himself,  it  is  impossible  to  enter  the  kingdom  of  God.     .     .     . 

To  this  one  often  hears  the  objection  that  God  is  good,  and  one  therefore  shall 
hope  that  ultimately  all  will  be  saved.  But  directly  against  that  we  say :  The  very 
circumstance  that  God  is  good  excludes  for  one  that  is  evil  all  possibility  of  being  saved. 
Salvation  depends  on  an  intimate  personal  life-communion  between  God  and  man. 
But  such  a  communion  is  not  possible  as  long  as  God  is  God  and  man  evil.  ...  If 
you  look  at  the  doctrine  of  eternal  condemnation  from  such  a  point  of  view,  as  though 
it  should  be  an  immutable  demand  by  God's  righteousness  to  torture  out  of  sinful  man 
a  certain  measure— an  infinite  measure  of  suffering- as  payment  of  that  debt  which  he 
has  incurred  through  sin,  then  we  do  not  wonder  that  over  such  a  thought  your  heart 
is  torn  in  two;  for  no  thought  can  be  more  unworthy  of  God,  more  violating  of  his 
honor,  or  more  unfit  for  one  who  professes  to  know  God  ;  and  nothing  can  be  more 
warrantable  than  a  "lightning"  [Swedish  adjective]  protest  against  the  doctrine  of  the 
eternal  condemnation  seen  from  such  a  point  of  view.  But  if  you  look  at  the  matter 
from  man's  point  of  view,  from  the  point  of  view  that  he  is  evil,  and  that  for  his 
coming  into  heaven  it  not  only  requires  that  God  is  God  and  willing  to  forgive  all  his 
sins,  but  also  that  man  shall  have  a  mind  fit  for  heaven,  then  the  matter  will  appear 
differently.     .     .     .     O  that  you  who  yet  live  in  sin,  who  are  on  a  way  to  perish,  under- 


IN   SWEDEN  AND   NORWAY.  100 

stood  that  it  is  on  your  part  the  unmercifulness  lies  when  you  forfeit  heaven  and  salva- 
tion. O  that  you  also  understood  the  things  which  belong  unto  your  peace,  and  would 
turn  to  God  while  it  is  yet  time. 

Further,  we  shall  preach  that  God  loves  the  world.  "  For  God  so  loved  the  world," 
etc.  (John  3  :  10).  But  when  we  preach  this  we  know  that  we  do  not  only  stand  on 
the  lirna  foundation  of  God's  Word,  but  also  that  our  preaching  meets  in  the  innermost 
part  of  every  person  a  voice  which  testifies  and  says  :  "  It  is  right,  it  is  right."  .  .  . 
We  shall  preach  that  Jesus  is  a  Savior  for  all  men  ;  for  publicans  and  harlots,  for 
Pharisees  and  Sadducees,  for  drunkards  and  adulterers,  for  the  children  of  sin  and 
death  of  all  kinds,  for  the  whole  world,  without  exception.  It  is  also  our  joy  to  know 
that  we  do  not  need,  in  preaching,  to  make  any  distinction  between  persons.  For 
Christ  says  :  '•  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  comfort 
you  "  [Swedish  transl.J  (Mat.  11  :  28).  We  shall  preach  that  Jesus  is  the  only  Savior. 
The  Word  of  God  says  :  "  Neither  is  there  salvation  in  any  other  "  (Acts  4  :  12).  .  .  . 
We  shall  preach  that  Jesus  is  the  Savior  in  that  he  has  himself  vanquished  our  enemies 
— sin,  death,  the  world,  and  the  devil ;  that  the  only  way  to  be  saved  through  Christ  is 
to  believe  on  him  ;  that  he  who  says  he  is  in  Christ  must  also  walk  even  as  Christ, 
walked. 

DR.    WALDENSTROM'S   LETTERS. 

On  the  inside  cover  pages  of  the  Pietiden  magazine  he  has  been  accus- 
tomed to  write,  in  the  form  of  familiar  letters,  answers  to  many  inquiries. 
His  signature,  "P.  W.,"  so  widely  known  among  Swedish  people,  identi- 
fies each  letter.  We  extract  from  a  collection  of  these,  published  under 
the  title  of  "Letters  on  Religious  Topics." 

God's  Way  of  Seeking  Bedeess. 

When  you  ask  whether  it  is  possible  for  God  to  save  us  without  the  work  of  Christ, 
we  answer  a  decided  No  !  But  when  on  that  account  you  wonder  if  then  the  work  of 
Christ  ought  not  properly  to  be  considered  a  payment  to  God,  a  payment  demanded  by 
his  righteousness  in  case  he  should  save  us,  then  you  go  quite  astray.  In  exactly  the 
same  manner  can  one  say  that  it  is  not  possible  for  God  to  save  sinners  without  the 
work  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  but  from  that  it  does  not  follow,  by  any  means,  that  the  work 
of  the  Spirit  is  a  payment  to  God.  No  ;  both  the  work  of  Christ  and  the  work  of  the 
Spirit  are  the  means  that  God  has  used  and  uses  for  the  salvation  of  sinners,  and  he 
uses  just  these  means  because  we  cannot  be  saved  by  any  other  means.  "  The  blood 
of  Christ  is  shed  for  the  remission  of  sins."  You  ask  whether  that  expression  does  not 
imply  that  the  blood  of  Christ  is  a  payment  to  God.  That  no  such  thing  lies  in  the 
expression  itself,  you  will  readily  understand  from  other  similar  expressions,  as  when 
it  reads:  "  With  the  heart  man  believeth  unto  righteousness."  It  ought  surely  to  be 
manifest  that  in  that  expression  does  not  lie  any  such  meaning  as  that  faith  should 
constitute  a  payment  to  God.  No  ;  but  faith  is  held  forth  as  a  means  whereby  man  is 
made  righteous. 

As  to  what  those  words  mean,  that  the  blood  of  Christ  has  been  shed  for  the  remis- 
sion of  sins  for  many,  I  think  we  have  the  best  explanation  in  Rom.  3,  where  Paul 
says  that  God  has  set  Christ  forth  through  the  blood  to  be  a  propitiation  [throne  of 
grace]  for  sinnprs.  And  notice  :  it  is  not  Christ  [himself]  that  has  set  himself  to  be 
a  propitiation  for  sinners  against  God,  but  it  is  God,  that  has  set  him  to  be  such  a 
propitiation,  that  he  may  through  him  be  gracious  to  sinners  and  save  them.  All  is  of 
God  through  Christ. 

You  wonder,  further,  if  God's  righteousness  and  honor  did  not,  however,  demand 


104  A   WIND   FROM   THE  HOLY    SPIRIT 

a  perfect  redress  for  our  sin,  because  through  our  sin  they  were  certainly  violated. 
To  that  I  can  give  no  other  answer  than  this,  that  the  Scriptures  do  not  in  a  single 
place  present  reconciliation  from  the  point  of  view  of  such  a  demand  from  God  for 
redress.  If  it  is  true  that  the  Father  and  the  Son  are  one,  and  that  he  who  sees  the 
Son  also  sees  the  Father,  then  we  ask  :  Did  the  Son's  righteousness  and  honor  demand 
any  redress  for  our  sin  ?  To  this  I  believe  that  none  will  answer  anything  but  No. 
The  prevailing  theology  is  wont  to  say  that  the  Father  demanded  and  the  Son  gave  him 
redress.  But  if  this  is  so,  then  we  find  another  righteousness  in  the  Son  than  in  the 
Father,  and  they  are  no  longer  one.  I  read  in  a  late  publication,  that  if  one  asserts 
that  God  never  has  demanded  a  perfect  redress,  it  would  be  the  same  as  saying  that 
God  had  never  been  righteous.  But  in  precisely  the  same  manner  it  could  be  said  of 
Christ :  "If  one  asserts  that  Christ  has  never  been  wronged  so  that  he  Has  demanded 
a  perfect  redress,  then  it  is  the  same  as  to  say  that  he  has  never  been  righteous. " 
Surely  you  can  see  where  that  leads.  But  if  you  cannot  say  that  of  the  Son,  neither 
can  you  say  it  of  the  Father,  provided  it  is  true  that  the  Father  and  the  Son  are  one. 
No,  brother,  the  redress  which  the  righteous  Father  sought  was  the  deliverance  from 
sin  of  the  lost  children,  and  for  this  redress  he  gave  his  only  Son. 

The  same  is  also  true  with  regard  to  the  talk  about  the  redress  of  God's  honor.  If 
your  honor  has  been  violated  by  some  one,  I  believe  you  will  better  satisfy  your  honor 
if  you  have  compassion  over  the  offending  one  and  seek  to  save  him,  than  if  you  de- 
mand "redress"  from  him  or  from  some  one  else  in  his  stead  for  the  violation  you 
have  suffered.  And  I  believe,  when  you  do  this,  you  will  act  according  to  his  ex- 
ample who  is  good  unto  the  unthankful  and  to  the  evil;  yes,  he  who  has  given  his 
only  Son  to  save  them  that  offended  him.  When  I  look  upon  the  Son,  of  whom  the 
Scripture  says  that  he  is  the  express  image  of  God's  person,  then  I  see  that  he  sought 
no  other  honor  than  that  of  saving  sinners.  Of  his  violated  honor  he  never  spoke  one 
word,  and  when  on  the  cross  he  wept  over  those  who  deepest  violated  his  honor : 
"  Father,  forgive  them,  for  they  know  not  what  they  do,"  then  he  truly  "satisfied  " 
his  honor.  Never  could  his  honor  be  more  glorified  through  anything  else  than  it  was 
when  he  died  for  their  salvation  who  had  wronged  him.  But  in  this  case  the  Son  was 
a  reflection  of  the  Father's  glory. 

Not  by  demanding  recompense,  but  by  saving  sinners,  God  has  "satisfied"  his 
honor  and  glorified  his  righteousness.  Or  what  do  you  think  ?  When  the  angels 
.sang  at  the  birth  of  Jesus:  "Glory  be  to  God  in  the  highest,"  do  you  believe  they 
meant  that  now  the  man  was  born  in  whose  suffering  and  blood  God  was  to  receive  a 
sufficient  recompense  for  that  violation  which  his  honor  had  suffered  through  our  sin  ? 
No  -"  unto  you  is  born  this  day  a  Savior :  "  that  was  the  burden  of  their  song  when 
they  sang:  "Glory  to  God  in  the  highest."  When  I  consider  how  the  Lord  Jesus,  in 
the  story  of  the  Prodigal  Son,  describes  God,  then  I  see  everything  except  the  talk  of 
demanding  redress  for  the  Father's  honor.  In  just  that  parable  you  may  particularly 
see  how  the  Father  maintains  his  honor.  Yes,  brother,  that  word  is  without  doubt 
true,  that  he  that  sees  the  Son  sees  the  Father.  That  the  ordinary  theology  gives  a 
totally  different  image  of  the  Father  from  that  of  the  Son  cannot  be  denied.  Whatever 
the  fact  may  be,  yet  one  dares  not  say  that  the  Son  possessed  such  a  righteousness  that 
he  demanded  satisfaction  in  the  blood  of  another  for  the  violation  it  had  suffered  ;  but 
that  he  at  the  same  time  was  righteous,  and  righteous  as  God,  neither  does  one  dare  to 
deny. 

Now,  farewell !  The  Lord  bless  you  and  all  brethren.  May  he  keep  us  firm  in  his 
Word  and  iu  the  faith  through  all  the  days  of  our  life  !  For  such  is  his  good  and 
gracious  will.     Amen. 

September,  1876. 


IN   SWEDEN   AND   NORWAY.  105 


The  Son  the  Image  of  the  Father. 

That  many  have  become  troubled  over  the  talk  that  "  P.  W."  denies  the  divinity 
of  Christ,  is  certainly  painful ;  but,  to  be  sure,  every  one  ought  to  perceive  that  if  the' 
divinity  of  Christ  be  anywhere  actually  denied,  it  is  there  where  it  is  preached  in  such 
a  manner  as  to  give  a  totally  different  image  of  the  Father  from  that  of  the  Son  ;  and 
that  if  the  divinity  of  Christ  be  maintained  anywhere,  it  is  there  where  it  is  preached 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  give  the  same  image  of  the  Father  as  of  the  Son.  Yet  when 
the  mind  is  bitter  or  agitated  by  fear,  one  does  not  see  anything  ;  but  through  all  will 
the  Lord  Jesus  fully  help  his  own,  for  that  is  his  office  and  his  meat.  In  heaven  will 
all  the  children  of  God  see  and  speak  and  sing  in  harmony. 

March,  1877. 

Are  the  Sacrifices  Payment  to  God  ? 

Dear  Brother :  You  ask  if  the  sacrifices  in  the  Old  Testament  were  not  offered  unto 
God,  and  if  not,  Christ's  sacrifice  was  not  a  sacrifice  unto  God.  Answer  :  It  is  written, 
both  of  the  sacrifices  of  the  Old  Testament  and  of  the  sacrifice  of  Christ,  that  they  were 
sacrifices  unto  God.  When  persons  publicly  assert  that  I  deny  this,  they  speak  con- 
trary to  the  true  facts.  What  I  deny  is  this,  that  the  sacrifices  should  be  a  payment 
to  God.  That  it  was  God  who  asked  of  Abraham  that  he  should  sacrifice  his  son,  and 
that  it  was  unto  God  Abraham  went  to  sacrifice  him — these  stand  written  in  plain  words ; 
but  that  the  sacrifice  should  be  a,  payment  to  God  is  not  written.  That  it  was  God  who 
ordered  the  sacrifices  of  worship,  also  that  it  was  unto  God  they  were  offered,  that  is 
written  in  plain  words  ;  but  that  they  were  a  payment  to  God  is  nowhere  written.  In 
the  New  Testament  I  can  also  see  that  God  requires  the  Christians  to  present  them- 
selves as  living  and  holy  sacrifices  unto  him  (Rom.  12)  ;  but  that  there  should  be  any 
payment  in  these  sacrifices  I  cannot  see.  God  has  appointed  every  Christian  in  a  cer- 
tain place  [station]  to  a  certain  work,  and  it  belongs  to  every  Christian  to  offer  himself 
in  that  work,  in  that  place,  to  God.  That  is  the  sacrifice  God  requires,  but  not  as  a 
payment.  Thus  has  also  God  appointed  his  only  Son  to  the  work  of  saving  sinners. 
That  work  could  not  be  completed  with  less  than  giving  his  life  unto  death.  The 
Son  sacrificed  himself.  He  sacrificed  his  life  unto  God  ;  he  sacrificed  it  for  the  ac- 
complishment of  the  work  that  the  Father  gave  him.  God  also  required  that  sacrifice 
of  him.  For  such  was  his  solicitude  for  the  salvation  of  sinners,  that  when  it  could 
not  be  done  in  any  other  manner  he  gave  his  Son  and  desired  of  him  the  sacrifice  that 
he  should  descend  in  the  likeness  of  sinful  flesh,  and  by  the  consecration  of  his  own 
life  seek  and  save  the  lost  ;  and  the  Son  said:  "  I  delight  to  do  thy  will,  O  my  God." 
But  the  sacrifice  was  not  any  payment  on  the  Son's  part,  nor  was  it  on  the  Father's 
part  any  demand  for  the  payment  of  the  debt  of  sin.  That  is  nowhere  "  written,"  but 
is  a  doctrine  of  men. 

Christian  Union. 

You  mention  that  the  experience  of  the  past  has  shown  that  all  attempts  to  unite 
Christians  of  different  confessions  of  faith  have  failed,  and  I  know  that  too.  I  know, 
too,  one  thing  more  :  that  all  attempts  to  eradicate  intemperance  have  so  far  also 
failed.  And  yet  I  rejoice  over  every  new  and  powerful  attempt  which  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord  is  being  made  towards  that  end.  Do  you  think  that  one  should  for  such 
reason  cease  to  battle  against  the  deeds  of  the  flesh  ?  No,  brother :  may  we  rejoice 
over  every  approach  in  love  between  those  who  believe  on  the  same  Savior.  Should 
one  attempt  fail,  let  us  then  make  another.  If  one  does  not  gain  everything  at  once, 
yet  shall  such  a  battle  never  take  place  without  bearing  some  fruit.  To  lay  down 
the  weapons  in  the  battle  against  party  spirit  may  have  the  same  consequences  as  if 


106  A    WIND   FROM   THE   HOLY   SPIRIT 

one  laid  them  down  in  the  warfare  against  other  deeds  of  the  flesh.  Each  new  battle 
against  an  enemy  is  a  link  in  that  chain  of  conflicts  by  which  he  shall  finally  be  van- 
quished. In  a  war  many  battles  will  take  place  which  are  not  decisive  victories,  but 
which  nevertheless  contribute  respectively  to  the  issue  of  the  war.  I  believe  the 
same  is  true  of  the  battles  against  the  hosts  of  darkness  ;  and  I  ask  you,  look  at  Mr. 
U.  L.  Moody's  work,  and  at  the  religious  activity  in  our  own  land  !  They  bear  testi- 
mony of  what  blessing  follows  when  Christians  allow  the  life  in  Christ  to  be  more  than 
unity  in  dogmas.  There  was  a  priest  once  who  said  to  another:  "I  like  a  dead 
Lutheran  better  than  a  living  Baptist."  The  other  replied  :  "  Yet  I  would  rather  go 
to  heaven  as  a  Baptist  than  go  to  hell  as  a  Lutheran."  We  have  much  to  learn  from 
those  words. 

The  Baptism  of  Children. 

I  hold  child  baptism  to  be  a  true  and  Christian  baptism.  That  I  ought  to  be  per- 
mitted to  express  freely  and  openly.  I  shall  also  leave  the  Baptists  liberty  to  express  a 
contrary  view  on  their  part.  It  need  not  interrupt  our  love  at  all.  Your  uncertainty 
whether  it  is  right  to  baptize  children  into  the  Lutheran  faith  when  they  are  not  able 
to  decide  for  themselves  whether  they  will  belong  to  this  denomination  is  due  entirely 
to  a  misconception— one  which  I  have  otherwise  found  to  be  very  common  among  the 
Baptists.  We  never  baptize  our  children  to  become  Lutherans.  We  never  baptize 
them  on  the  Augsburg  Confession,  but  only  on  the  general  apostolic  faith.  So  all 
arguments  against  child  baptism  from  that  quarter  disappear  entirely.  Only  those 
who  are  ignorant  of  the  real  facts  can  advance  such  arguments. 

Now  farewell !  The  Lord  bless  you  with  peace.  Dear  brother,  remain  firm  in 
Christ  and  in  the  words  of  his  grace  ! 

June,  1877. 

Hating  Sin  while  Loving  the  Sinner. 

I  remember  a  few  words  by  Luther  which  I  read  the  other  day.  He  says :  "If 
anybody  would  paint  a  true  likeness  of  God,  let  him  paint  such  an  image  as  to  be  pure 
love  ;  as  though  the  nature  of  God  were  nothing  but  a  fiery  furnace  of  such  love,  filling 
heaven  and  earth  If  one  will  paint  and  picture  love,  let  him  make  an  image  that  re- 
sembles neither  man  nor  angel,  but  let  it  be  God  himself." 

Ay,  brother,  thus  does  God  look.  That  he  hates  all  sin  and  unrighteousness,  we 
may  read  in  the  Scripture  and  learn  by  experience.  If  he  did  not  hate  sin,  then  he 
were  not  good.  See,  here  is  a  figure  :  You  will  never  call  a  man  good  who  does  not 
hate  sin  ;  nor,  if  you  see  a  man  who  hates  another,  will  you  call  him  good.  But  if 
you  see  a  man  who  hates  sin,  and  at  the  same  time  devotes  labor,  property,  and  life  to 
rescue  sinners  whom  he  sees  bound  in  sin,  then  he  is  certainly  a  good  man.  Yes,  only 
from  those  who  hate  sin  can  one  expect  something  to  be  done  to  rescue  sinners. 
For  instance,  if  one  shall  expect  of  any  man  energetic  endeavors  for  the  deliverance  of 
drunkards,  it  must  be  from  a  man  who  heartily  hates  that  sin  in  which  drunkards  lie. 
Had  not  God  hated  sin  as  he  did  and  does,  he  would  not  have  sacrificed  his  only 
Son  for  the  saving  of  sinners.  Therefore  when  the  "  Scribes  "  come  and  try  to  perplex 
you  on  this  point,  saying  that  one  may  not  distinguish  between  the  sin  and  the  sinner, 
ask  them  if  they  do  not  acknowledge  that  God  lores  sinvers.  If  they  acknowledge  that, 
then  ask  them  further  if  God  also  lores  sin.  Should  they  answer  No,  then  ask  how  they 
can  say  thus  when  it  will  not  do  to  distinguish  between  the  sin  and  the  sinner. 

Ah,  brother,  this  matter  is  really  so  simple  that  it  needs  much  skill  to  be  able  to 
pervert  it.  Of  this  Rosenius  says  :  "That  God  hates  the  sin.  visits  and  punishes  our 
sin,  is  not  incompatible  with  God's  unchangeable  love.  It  is,  on  the  contrary,  but  a 
further  proof  of  his  love  and  kindness  towards  us  when  he  attacks  that  which  is  our 


IN  SWEDEN  AND  NORWAY.  107 

destruction  and  also  our  greatest  affliction."  There  you  can  see  that  he  had  learned  to 
discriminate  between  the  sin  and  the  sinner ;  yes,  that  he  even  was  able  to  see  in  the 
jhittdtij  with  which  God  visits  the  sin  an  expression  of  God's  hate  towards  the  sin,  and 
an  expression  of  his  love  towards  us  who  have  sinned.  This,  to  be  sure,  we  also  Lave 
always  preached.  That  God  hates  the  sin  but  loves  the  sinner  belongs  for  a  certainty 
to  the  A,  B,  C  of  the  gospel  ;  but  those  who  have  arisen  to  defend  human  devices  in 
conflict  with  the  Word  of  God,  sad  to  tell,  seem  to  become  more  and  more  blind. 
June,  1676. 

Free  Communion. 

With  regard  to  the  "free  communion,"  it  is  sad,  to  be  sure,  that  Christians  in  many 
places  contend  about  it.  For  my  part,  I  believe  that  the  only  proper  way  is  to  let 
everybody  be  free.  Those  who  cannot  partake  in  the  communions  of  the  State  church, 
but  gather  separately — why,  dear,  leave  them  in  peace.  They  certainly  do  no  harm, 
and  one  cannot  deny  that  the  Lord  Jesus  is  with  them.  Those  who  cannot  partake  in 
the  private  communions,  but  go  to  the  church — why,  dear,  leave  them  in  peace.  The 
Lord  Jesus  is  also  with  them.  Let  every  man  be  fully  persuaded  in  his  own  mind. 
One  should  not  judge  or  despise  the  other.  Let  everything  be  done  in  peace.  One 
may  not  fetter  the  conscience  of  the  other.     The  Lord  has  patience  with  the  feeble. 

Now  farewell !  The  Lord  be  with  you  and  bless  you.  Greet  the  brethren  and 
pray  for  me. 

March,  1878. 

Many  Slanders. 

Dear  Brother :  It  is  impossible  for  me  to  write  everywhere  to  confute  all  rumors 
which  people  in  their  blind  zeal  for  pure  doctrine  cause  to  be  circulated.  Generally 
it  must  not  surprise  you  if  you  hear  one  say  that  we  deny  the  divinity  of  Christ ;  an- 
other, that  we  deny  the  humanity  of  Christ ;  the  third,  that  we  award  no  greater  sig- 
nification to  the  suffering  of  Christ  than  to  that  of  Paul,  Peter,  etc.  Yes,  there  are 
found  preachers  with  great  religious  zeal  who  travel  about  and  in  a  smiling  and  pity- 
ing manner  (so  as  to  be  believed)  persuade  simple-hearted  Christians  that  I  deny  now 
this,  now  that,  and  failing  to  prove  what  they  say  by  my  writings,  they  then  claim 
that  I  have  said  so  in  private  letters  which  they  have  seen  with  their  own  eyes,  or  else 
what  other  veracious  persons  have  seen,  etc.  Just  such  as  Paul  in  2  Thess.  2 :  2  de- 
clared had  befallen  him  when  he  says:  "Be  not  soon  shaken  in  mind,  or  be  troubled 
neither  by  spirit,  nor  by  word,  nor  by  letter  as  from  w.n  Or  else  they  say  :  "He  will 
soon  come  with  that  denial ;  he  does  not  venture  yet,  but  it  will  come."  In  this  way 
they  do  everything  they  can  to  inspire  dread  in  the  hearts  of  the  simple.  Against 
such  I  can  only  refer  to  my  writings.  They  testify  of  what  I  believe.  But  my  slan- 
derers do  not  read  these,  finding  it  easier  to  make  me  a  heretic  by  stories  which  they 
have  either  invented  or  heard  others  relate.  The  same  has  in  every  period  befallen  all 
who  have  dared  to  advance  the  Word  of  God  against  the  devices  of  men.  But  it  is  God 
who  answers  for  the  truth  of  his  Word.  What  we  have  to  guard  against  is  the  recom- 
pensing of  like  with  like.  It  is  he  who  paints  in  an  image  the  Father  different  from 
the  Son  that  denies  the  divinity  of  Christ,  For  how  can  he  be  God  who  is  so  unlike 
the  Father  ?  To  give  another  image  of  the  Father  than  that  of  the  Son,  and  yet  say 
that  that  one  maintains  the  divinity  of  Christ,  is  quite  the  same  as  if  somebody  drew  a 
square  on  a  slate  and  afterwards  attempted  to  prove  that  this  figure  was  a  circle. 

More  about  Baptism. 

Those  who  disapprove  of  child  baptism  frequently  mention  faith  and  say  that  none 
should  be  baptized  but  those  who  through  the  gospel  have  attained  unto  faith  inChrist ; 
also  that  it  is  important  for  the  believer  to  obey  the  command  of  the  Lord  and  be  bap- 


108  A   WIND   FROM   THE  HOLY    SPIRIT 

tized.  But  these  persons  do  not  possess  such  demonstrative  power  as  one  might  sup- 
pose. For  if  any  one  comes  to  them,  confesses,  and  is  baptized,  and  it  afterwards  ap- 
pears that  he  did  not  really  believe,  yet  they  do  not  disapprove  of  his  baptism,  and  they 
baptize  him  again  if  he  actually  attains  to  faith.  And,  further,  within  their  own  homes 
grow  up  little  children  to  be  three  or  four  years  old,  who  show  such  ardent  and  sim- 
ple faith  in  Jesus  that  they  might  be  meet  models  for  their  parents ;  yet  they  do  not 
baptize  these,  although  they  believe  on  Jesus;  nor  do  they  tell  them  it  is  God's  will 
that  all  believers  be  baptized,  and  that  it  is  important  for  them  to  obey  God's  command. 

That  it  would  be  wrong  to  bind  the  young  child  by  baptism  to  any  denomination  is 
willingly  admitted.  I  do  not  know  where  that  is  done.  I  have  baptized  many  chil- 
dren, yet  I  have  never  baptized  any  child  to  Luther  or  the  Lutheran  church  or  to  the 
Augsburg  Confession,  but  I  have  baptized  all  on  the  general  apostolic  faith  into  the 
name  of  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost.  Neither  have  I  ever  seen  that  this 
baptism  constituted  any  fetter  that  in  any  manner  prevented  them  from  joining  which- 
ever denomination  they  chose  when  they  had  grown  up.  Therefore  it  is  not  right  to 
call  child  baptism  a  religious  outrage  against  the  child.  It  is  no  greater  outrage  than 
if  I  lay  the  hands  on  the  child  and  bless  it ;  and  at  all  events  a  much  smaller  "  out- 
rage" than  when,  during  its  delicate  childhood,  I  implant  in  its  heart  and  understand- 
ing the  tenets  of  the  Lord  which  it  cannot  examine  for  itself.  May  our  brethren,  the 
Baptists,  do  us  justice,  and  know  that  with  us  is  found  just  as  sincere  and  honest  con- 
victions as  with  them,  and  just  as  earnest  a  will  to  qbey  the  Lord  as  they  have, 
although  we  understand  this  matter  differently. 

May  God  bless  us  with  his  grace  and  his  Spirit !  May  he  give  our  brethren,  the 
Baptists,  grace  to  see  that  he  has  not  instituted  baptism  as  a  boundary- wall  between 
Christians  and  Christians.  Many  of  them  see  it  already,  and  feel  oppressed  by  that 
party  spirit  towards  their  former  brethren  into  which  they  have  come  ;  but  other  Bap- 
tists are  sincere  and  believe  they  are  thus  doing  God  service.  May  God  open  their 
eyes  and  expand  their  hearts  !     Farewell  in  the  Lord. 

June,  1878. 

The  Debt  of  Sin. 

To  speak  of  paying  the  debt  of  sin  is  quite  against  the  Scripture.  A  debt  of  money 
can  be  paid,  but  not  a  debt  of  sin.  If  the  debt  of  sin  were  paid,  then  to  be  sure  the 
sin  would  not  be  debt  any  longer.  But  the  Scripture  teaches  differently.  All  sin  is 
debt,  and  no  payment  can  make  the  sin  anything  but  crime  and  debt.  The  debt  of  sin 
can  he  forgiven,  but  not  paid.  So  you  can  see  that  in  all  those  places  where  it  is  likened 
to  a  debt  of  money  (viz.,  Luke  7  :  41,  42  ;  Mat.  18  :  27,  32)  not  a  word  is  spoken  of  pay- 
ment, but  of  remission.  Read  those  words  as  they  stand,  and  you  will  not  be  deceived. 
From  this  you  will  also  understand  how  directly  against  the  truth  those  speak  who  say 
that  I  deny  the  debt  of  sin.  He  that  teaches  that  the  debt  of  sin  is  paid,  he  it  is  that 
denies  the  debt  of  sin.  For  Tie  must  of  course  teach  that  the  sin  is  no  longer  any  debt, 
provided  he  is  serious  about  the  payment.  It  is  as  clear  as  day  :  If  the  debt  of  sin  "is 
really  paid,  then  the  sin  is  no  longer  debt ;  if  the  sin  is  still  debt,  then  it  is  not  paid, 
for  a  paid  debt  can  no  longer  be  debt.  O  brother,  let  us  leave  human  doctrines  and 
abide  by  the  Word  of  God. 

December,  1878. 

The  Liberty  of  God's  Children. 

You  wonder  how  you  shall  understand  what  I  said  in  a  former  letter  about  Chris- 
tians that  take  communion  in  the  State  church  :  "  God  is  with  them  and  blesses  them 
and  fills  their  hearts  with  joy."  I  would  answer  :  That  it  is  not  a  proper  and  Biblical 
communion  when  those  who  live  in  open  sin  are  indiscriminately  admitted  to  the  com- 
munion-table, as  is  now  practiced  within  the  State  church  in  most  places.     On  that 


IN  SWEDEN  AND  NORWAY.  109 

point  there  is  not  likely  to  be  more  than  one  opinion.  When,  however,  the  question 
is  whether,  in  present  difficult  circumstances,  Christians  must  or  ought  to  separate 
themselves  from  the  communion  of  the  State  church,  then  opinions  may  differ,  as  also 
experience  shows.  Christian  love  forbids  us  to  deny  that  honest  and  upright  convic- 
tions are  found  on  both  sides.  We  may  find  Christians  that  cannot  partake  in  the  com- 
munions of  the  State  church  on  account  of  their  consciences,  and  we  may  find  Chris- 
tians who  cannot  partake  in  the  Free  communions  on  account  of  their  consciences. 

Well,  now,  what  is  to  be  done  about  it  ?  For  my  part,  I  think  when  one  as  well  as 
the  other  acts  according  to  his  conscience,  as  before  God,  in  simplicity  and  meekness, 
then  is  God  certainly  with  him  and  blesses  him.  Neither  the  one  nor  the  other  can 
then  be  said  to  sin.  It  will  be  sin  only  when  conscience  is  violated.  I  have  seen 
Christians  come  from  the  private  communions  full  of  blessed  joy ;  again  I  have  seen 
others,  just  as  true  and  sincere  children  of  God,  come  from  the  communion  in  the  State 
church  full  of  blessed  joy  ;  and  who  dares  to  say  that  the  joy  of  the  one,  but  not  that 
of  the  other,  is  from  God  ?  Therefore  I  advise  most  heartily  :  Let  us  not  judge  each 
other,  but  grant  every  one  the  liberty  to  act  according  to  what  he  honestly  believes  is 
God's  will.  Just  as  little  would  I  advise  any  one  to  partake  in  the  private  communions 
in  violation  of  his  conscience,  as  I  would  advise  any  one  to  partake  of  those  of  the  State 
church  in  violation  of  his  conscience.  One  ought  never  to  expect  that  all  Christians 
should  attain  the  same  understanding  at  once.  Though  you  have  a  better  understand- 
ing and  insight  than  your  brother,  yet  I  believe  that  it  pleases  God  better  if  your  brother 
in  his  simplicity  acts  in  accordance  with  his  own  honest  conviction  of  what  be  the  will 
of  God,  than  if  he,  against  his  conscience,  or  doubtful  and  uncertain  of  God's  will, 
should  act  according  to  your  insight,  the  rightness  of  which  he  has  not  yet  been  able 
to  see.  A  true  insight  is  good  ;  an  obedient  mind  is  better  ;  a  true  insight  together  with 
an  obedient  mind  is  the  very  best.  The  true  insight  may  be  lacking,  but  the  pious 
and  obedient  mind  is  still  pleasing  to  God.  Now  I  hope  that  you  understand  my  mean- 
ing.    Then  you  may  judge  according  to  the  Word  of  God. 

May  God  give  us  grace  to  increase  more  and  more  in  insight,  in  meekness,  in  obe- 
dience, in  brotherly  love  ! 

March,  1879. 

MISSION  CHURCHES   IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

It  is  hoped  that  the  foregoing  pages  have  set  in  clear  light  the  present 
religious  situation  in  Sweden  and  Norway,  as  well  as  given  an  intelligent 
idea  of  the  discontent,  spiritual  hungering,  and  revivals  which  have  de- 
veloped into  this  great  free  church  movement ;  an  awakening  which  is  very 
remarkable  in  some  of  its  features,  and  which  will  rank  among  the  won- 
derful religious  movements  among  men  since  repentance  and  remission  of 
sins  have  been  "preached  in  his  name  among  all  nations." 

Herein  also  are  the  chief  data  for  a  correct  understanding  of  the  relig- 
ious condition  of  the  Scandinavians  in  this  country.  Most  of  them  have 
left  their  northern  homes  so  recently,  and  they  keep  up  such  close  ac- 
quaintance with  current  events  in  their  "  old  home-land,"  that  it  may  be 
said,  in  general,  that  the  currents  of  religious  thought  among  Scandina- 
vians in  both  countries  are  very  similar.  All  adult  Scandinavians  have 
been  reared  Lutherans  ;  the  Lutheran  church  in  this  country  is  substan- 
tially the  same  as  in  Sweden  and  Norway,  except  that  it  is  here  shorn  of 
its  State  patronage  and  civil  authority  for  ecclesiastical  persecution,  and  is 
greatly  liberalized  by  its  free  surroundings.     There  is  here  among  the 


110  A   WIND   FROM   THE  HOLY   SPIRIT 

Swedes  the  same  Free  Mission  movement,  breaking  away  from  the  Lu- 
theran church,  as  in  Sweden.  The  number  of  Swedish  "  Mission  "  and 
"  Ansgarii  "  arid  "Independent  "  and  "  Free  "  churches  in  this  country  is 
not  fully  given  in  any  published  statistics,  but  it  is  not  far  from  eighty 
churches,  some  of  which  have  several  hundred  members.  Their  church 
confessions  of  faith  and  rules  are  very  similar  to  those  given  above  from 
Sweden,  and  here,  as  there,  independent  of  each  other,  and  free  from  any 
formal  and  exact  copying  from  any  source  other  than  the  Bible.  Their 
preachers  speak  without  manuscript,  and  their  churches  largely  develop 
the  lay  element  in  Christian  work. 

They  are  divided  into  two  branches,  which  are  not  different  in  any  im- 
portant particular.  One  of  these  is  the  "Ansgarii  Synod,"  composed  of 
ministers.  It  is  to  be  formally  dissolved  in  May,  1885.  The  other  branch 
is  called  the  "  Swedish  Evangelical  Lutheran  Mission  Synod."  It  held  its 
eleventh  yearly  meeting  in  Red  Wing  and  St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  May  30  to 
June  9,  1884  Delegates  and  pastors  were  present  from  seven  States,  and 
29  churches  are  enrolled  in  its  statistical  tables.  Of  these,  ten  have  a 
membership  of  100  or  more,  and  one  has  420  members.  A  number  of  free 
Swedish  churches  do  not  unite  with  any  association,  preferring  entire  in- 
dependency. After  their  experiences  in  Sweden  with  ecclesiastical  control, 
this  swinging  off  into  extreme  independency  is  not  surprising.  Just  so 
did  many  Congregational  churches  after  coming  out  from  under  the  op- 
pressions of  the  Established  church  in  England. 

The  Swedish  Mission  churches  in  this  land  are  doing  a  good  work 
under  very  discouraging  circumstances.  They  are  far  too  widely  scattered 
to  enjoy,  conveniently,  the  fellowship  and  co-operation  with  each  other 
which  would  be  very  helpful.  They  also  lack  that  great  leadership  and 
associational  unity  which  the  Free  churches  enjoy  in  Sweden.  Some  of 
their  churches  are  so  strongly  "  Independent "  that  they  do  not  yet  fully 
see  that  warm  fellowship  and  hearty  co-operation  in  the  work  of  the  Lord 
are  not  injurious  to  true  independency,  and  are  a  real  church  grace. 

They  are  also  in  great  need  of  more  ministers,  that  they  may  give 
preaching  services  to  the  many  Swedish  communities  that  are  now  desti- 
tute ;  and  also  that  they  may  enlarge  their  work  by  improving  the  many 
opportunities  that  open  before  them.  A  sufficient  supply  of  ministers 
cannot  be  got  from  Sweden.  The  "fields  white  unto  the  harvest "  in  Swe- 
den, Norway,  Denmark,  Russia,  and  Finland,  lying  at  their  very  doors, 
make  it  very  difficult  to  get  men  enough  to  supply  their  own  needs  ;  and 
the  theological  professors  at  Kristin ehamn  said  that  the  men  for  the  work 
in  America  must,  most  of  them  at  least,  be  developed  from  among  the 
Scandinavians  in  the  United  States.  Their  own  calls  are  so  pressing  that 
they  are  compelled  to  hurry  their  young  men  into  the  work  with  much  less 
of  training  than  they  desire  to  give  them. 


IN   SWEDEN"   AND   NORWAY.  Ill 


NEEDS   OF   THE   WORK. 


Christians  in  America  or  in  England  who  would  love  to  aid  this  great 
awakening,  so  strangely  borne  upon  the  wings  of  the  "  wind  from  the 
Holy  Spirit,"  fanning  into  flame  the  long-quenched  embers  of  spiritual  life 
in  Sweden  and  Norway,  can  well  do  so  in  either  or  all  of  four  ways  : 

1.  By  placing  the  means  in  the  treasury  of  the  American  Home  Mis- 
sionary Society  to  help  support  Swedish,  Norwegian,  and  Danish  mission- 
aries to  preach  the  gospel  among  their  countrymen  in  this  land.  Among 
the  Swedes  this  work  may  be  prosecuted  under  special  advantages  of 
economy  and  fruitfulness,  by  rendering  our  assistance  in  harmony  with  the 
advice  and  co-operation  of  the  Free  Mission  churches  and  ministers.  Our 
work  is  their  work,  and  their  work  is  our  work.  Among  the  Norwegians 
and  Danes  in  the  United  States  there  is  yet  very  little  of  the  distinctively 
Free  church  movement  corresponding  to  the  Mission  churches  in  Scandi- 
navia. But  many  among  these  nationalities  are  turning  away  from  the 
Lutheran  church.  Some  of  these  go  into  Swedish  Mission  churches  ;  some 
into  Unitarianism  ;  some  into  Congregational  churches  ;  while  many  stand 
aloof  from  all  religious  influences.  But  in  these  ways  no  large  work  will 
be  done  among  them.  The  times  are  pointing  to  a  Free  church  move- 
ment among  themselves.  Let  it  be  remembered  that  about  one-sixth  of 
the  entire  Scandinavian  population  of  the  world  is  already  in  the  United 
States,  and  the  end  is  not  yet.  Will  not  all  who  cherish  the  history  and 
grand  achievements  of  the  Congregational  churches,  and  who  love  their 
New  Testament  principles  of  church  liberty  and  order,  express  their  grat- 
itude for  this  new  development  of  these  principles  in  far-off  lands,  by  send- 
ing a  special  offering  to  this  Society  for  its  work  among  the  Scandinavians  ? 

2.  By  endowing  two  Scandinavian  professorships,  one  Swedish,  and 
one  Norwegian  or  Danish,  in  our  theological  seminary  at  Chicago.  These 
professorships  should  be  filled  by  native  Scandinavians.  They  are  very 
greatly  needed  if  we  are  to  have  suitable  Scandinavian  ministers.  Where 
shall  the  Swedish  Free  Mission  churches  get  their  trained  ministers,  unless 
they  have  a  school  where  their  students  can  study,  and  at  the  same  time 
perfect  their  knowledge  of  the  Swedish  language  and  literature  ?  Whence 
shall  come  Norwegian  and  Danish  missionaries  and  pastors,  without  some 
such  training-school  for  them  ? 

3.  By  giving  financial  aid  to  the  ministers'  training-schools  at  Kristine- 
hamn  and  Winslof,  in  Sweden.  They  have  no  endowment  funds  nor 
library.     God  has  given  a  great  work  into  their  hands.     They  need  help. 

4.  By  starting  a  training-school  for  ministers  in  Norway  or  Denmark. 
The  language  of  both  countries  is  the  same.  The  very  interesting  Free 
Mission  movement  now  fairly  started  in  Norway  cannot  have  permanent 
and  safe  growth  without  trained  pastors  and  teachers.  As  yet  it  has  al- 
most none  of  these. 


112  A   WIND   FROM   THE  HOLY   SPIRIT 

Information  from  American  or  Scandinavian  pastors  and  laymen  re- 
specting the  religious  needs  of  Scandinavian  communities  anywhere  in  the 
United  States,  will  be  gladly  received  by  the  author  of  this  report. 

THE   BIBLE    THE   HIGHEST   STANDARD. 

These  pages  cannot  better  be  closed  than  by  quoting  Dr.  Walden- 
strom's words  of  ardent  loyalty  to  the  Holy  Scriptures  in  a  letter  in  the 
Pietistev.1     They  are  as  inspiring  as  a  fresh  breeze  from  the  Reformation  : 

As  far  as  the  Socinians  and  my  relations  to  them  are  concerned  (since  Bishop 
Landgren  continually  associates  me  with  them),  I  must  ask  every  one  who  can  pass  a 
just  judgment  to  make  a  comparison  between  the  teaching  of  the  Socinians  and  the 
contents  of  my  writings,  and  he  will  find  the  difference  to  be  heaven-wide.  But  if  the 
Socinians  in  any  respect  speak  as  God's  Word  speaks,  it  would  be  unreasonable  for  me 
on  their  account  to  give  the  lie  to  God's  Word.  No,  for  me  the  matter  stands  thus  : 
before  everything  else  fidelity  to  God's  Word.  No  matter  who— if  it  be  a  Socinian,  a 
rationalist,  yea,  the  devil  himself — speaks  a  truth,  so  must  I  and  will  I  for  the  sake 
of  God's  Word  acknowledge  the  same.  And,  on  the  other  hand,  it  may  be  a  Lutheran, 
it  may  be  Luther  himself,  Rosenins,  or  any  other  teacher,  yea,  even  an  angel  of  God, 
who  says  anything  which  is  not  true,  then  must  I  honor  God  and  consider  their  word 
as  error.  Therefore,  if  anyone  says,  "Thus  and  thus  the  Socinians  teach,"  for  all 
that  I  will  not  say,  "  Then  it  is  wrong  ;  "  and  if  any  one  says,  "  Thus  and  thus  the 
Lutheran  church  teaches,"  for  all  that  I  will  not  at  once  answer,  "Then  it  is  right." 
But  I  will,  with  God's  grace,  see  what  God  says.  And  if  they  answer,  "Do  you 
then  think  that  you  understand  the  Scriptures  better  than  our  fathers  ?  "  for  all  that 
I  will  go  to  God's  Word  and  say:  "Lord  God,  what  sayest  thou?"  In  anyway  to 
allow  oneself  to  be  frightened  or  enticed  away  from  seeing  what  stands  written,  or  to 
allow  oneself  to  be  forced  for  the  sake  of  "  the  Confession  "  to  pervert  God's  Word, 
that  I  do  not  believe  to  be  right,  nor  do  I  think  my  ministerial  oath  compels  me  there- 
to. Be  that  as  it  may,  certain  it  is  that  the  question,  "  How  stands  it  written  ?"  has 
spread  about  and  is  every  day  spreading  about  more  widely  among  the  Christians  of 
our  land,  both  pastors  and  laymen,  with  a  power  which  four  years  ago  no  one  sur- 
mised. More  and  more  is  it  becoming  difficult  for  Christians  to  trust  to  the  assurances 
or  proofs  of  the  Scribes.  Despite  all  warnings,  all  complaints,  all  accusations,  and  all 
threatenings,  it  is  forcing  itself  upon  them  that  oven  the  Lutheran  theology  must  allow 
itself  to  be  judged  after  God's  Word. 

June,  1876. 

1  The  translation  of  this  letter  was  kindly  furnished  by  Rev.  F.  E.  Emrich,  of  the 
Tabernacle  church,  Chicago. 


Date  Due 

JAI9sj 

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re  o     r 

— "t  ^ — tr. 

FE  23'53 

- 

AJ  . 

'.-it  y_  -■ 

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§> 

S6f9roKeHo,ySpnt,n  Sweden  and 
Princeton  Theological  Seminary-Speer  Librai-y 


1    1012  00040  4212 


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